All you need is Love, Isn't it?
by A. Amishi
Summary: Hitomi visits Van regularly over the next three years but when she turns 18 the pressure of school and college exams are hightened when Van pops the question. But Merle has her own plans for their future. In the process of being re-edited, again
1. A Shared Feeling

Disclaimer: Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment, Inc. I am simply a poor soul who is attempting to bring some joy to those who would read and enjoy my non-canon story.

This story is rated PG-13 for adult themes, language, and violence. I would classify this story as a Romantic Drama with some Angst thrown in.

Description: This story covers a period of time from 6 weeks after Hitomi returns home from Gaea to about 4 years later. During the next three years she visits Gaea regularly and her relationship with Van grows, but just when her life is about to reach its storybook ending, a familiar face reappears and threatens to ruin everything; at least from Hitomi's perspective. I hope you enjoy this story. I intend to keep the chapters short so I can make regular updates. Please take the time to review after reading. My decision to continue with this story will in large part be determined by the responses I receive. So your voice is very important to me.

Acknowledgements: I'd like to thank Datexan from for taking the time to go through each chapter and edit it for me, as well as offering useful suggestions. Thanks Tex! I'd like to thank the readers on who have been so very supportive and helpful. There are too many to thank everyone individually, but know that I love you all. You're the best.

I'd like to add a very special thank you to my new Beta-Reader, Janice who not only has been editing all my fanfics but has graciously accepted the challenge to go back and re-edit all my stories from the beginning. What you have here is a completely re-edited work. Thank you so very much Janice, your are the best.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 1

Six weeks after Hitomi Kanzaki left Gaea

---

_'Was it all just a dream or was it real? Six weeks have passed since Van Fanel sent me back home. Here, time seemed to stand still. I ran the 100 in 13 seconds and Susumu Amano kissed Yukari Uchida for the first but not the last time. As it turned out, he didn't move to Europe at all. So far I've only told Yukari about my journey to Gaea. She still thinks it was just a dream. Could she be right?'_

Hitomi closed her journal and laid down on her bed. Almost instantly a vision came into her mind's eye.

"Van"

The same vision she had seen every day for the past six weeks, Van sitting on the castle wall, smiling.

_'He has such a beautiful smile. Too bad he didn't show it much when I was there. But I guess he didn't have much to smile about back then.'_

As she focused on the vision she thought of the words he had said to her before she left**. "_If you want to do so, it's alright with me. But we can see each other anytime, as long as we share a common feeling_**_."_

"A common feeling. Van, are you thinking of me, are you thinking of me right now?" she pondered, intensifying her concentration. "Van… Van… Van… Van"

In the king's chambers in the kingdom of Fanelia on Gaea

---

"Hitomi… Hitomi… Hitomi" Van's eyes shot open with a start. "HITOMI!"

"She's calling me," he said to himself as he sat up. Slowly, as he caught his breath, he lay back down on his bed and closed his eyes once more. "Hitomi… Hitomi…"

And slowly the words came to him.

"Van… Van… How are you, Van? I've missed you. I've missed you so."

"I've missed you, Hitomi. I'm fine. How have you been?"

"I'm fine, Van. My life goes on and all is well. But I do miss you… and Merle, and Allen, and all the others. I miss Gaea. But most of all I miss you."

"Come, visit us. The capital is nearly rebuilt. I would love for you to come and see it. It's even better than before."

"I'd like that. I will come, this weekend. I need to stay focused on school this week, but this weekend I will come. Be thinking of me over the next few days and I will come as soon as I can."

"You're in my thoughts always. But I will make a special effort to be thinking of you even more than usual. I have so much I want to speak to you about."

"I can't wait to see you again, Van. Till we meet again then."

"Till we meet again, Hitomi," the King said before falling back to sleep. And back on Earth the young girl he was speaking to drifted off to sleep as well.


	2. Preparations

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 2

Four days later

---

Hitomi spent 3 hours searching her closet for what she hoped would be the perfect outfit to wear for her trip back to Gaea. She had narrowed the selection down to four outfits, but over the past hour, could not decide which one was best.

"Oh, to heck with it. I'll just take them all."

She grabbed her gym bag and emptied out its contents, then started to place one of the outfits in it before stopping.

"But which one should I wear now?"

She eyed the four selections once again.

"Oooohhhh!"

She closed her eyes tightly and grabbed one, tossed it towards the head of the bed, then stuffed the rest in the bag. She looked over at her clock.

"It's almost ten o'clock."

She grabbed a few more items and tossed them in the bag, then zipped it closed. Hitomi took the outfit she had selected to wear and started to change.

After putting it on and looking in the mirror, she thought to herself, _'I hope he likes it.'_ It was a long sleeve, button down pink blouse with a black collar and matching black straight skirt that came to mid-thigh, about three inches longer then her school uniform. Hitomi pulled out her black sling-backs and slipped them on. Brushing her hair for the sixth time, she looked herself over one last time.

"Okay, Van Fanel, King of Fanelia, here I come." She smiled.

She grabbed her bag and went to her window. Sliding it open, she looked left, then right, to see if anyone was around to observe what she was about to do. With no one in sight, she slid the bag out the window and tossed it to the ground. It landed with a dull thud. _'I sure hope I didn't put anything breakable in there.'_ Hitomi closed the window and walked out of her room.

Downstairs, her family was sitting in the living room. Her little brother was laying on the floor watching television, while her mother was sewing patches on a pair of her son's pants and her father was busy reading the newspaper. She cleared her throat to get their attention.

Her mother looked up first. "Yes, Hitomi dear, what is it? Oh my, aren't you dressed up all pretty. Do you have a date tonight?"

The word date got her father's attention. "Date? What is this about a date?" He lowered his newspaper and looked his daughter over.

"No, mother, I don't have a date. I was… it's such a nice night, I thought I'd go for a walk. I'll probably end up at Yukari's." She lied.

"Well, don't you think it's a little late to be going for a walk?" her father asked.

"No! I mean, no, not at all." She tried to think quickly. "It's such a nice night. And who knows how many more of these we'll have before winter sets in. Besides, there are so many stars out, it's almost like late afternoon." She gave a fake laugh.

"What are you talking about, Hitomi? It's June," her little brother chimed in.

"Shut up." She shot him an evil glare.

"Well, what do you think, mother?" her dad asked, ignoring the exchange between his children.

"I suppose it will be alright. You do have your pager on you, right?" she asked.

"Of course." Hitomi smiled.

"Well, just put on a sweater at least. It might get chilly later," she added.

"Okay." The teenage girl walked over to the closet, grabbed her brown school lettermen sweater and folded it over her arm. Then she added, "Hmm, if it gets late, I might sleep over at Yukari's. Alright?"

"Just call if you decide to."

"I will," she said, and was out the door before they could ask any more questions.

She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay, time to go." She dashed around the house and grabbed her bag. Stuffing her sweater into the bag, she began walking to the train station to take her to Kamakura-Kita High School.

.


	3. Returning to Fanelia

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 3

At Kamakura-Kita High School

---

Slowly, Hitomi walked onto the practice field. The only lights were the ones shining brightly up in the sky: the stars, the moon, and, from her view, Gaea. Stopping in the middle of the track, she set her bag down and sat next to it. She took a cleansing breath and closed her eyes.

"Okay, Van. Are you feeling what I'm feeling? Gaea, I want to return to Gaea, to the kingdom of Fanelia, to the castle of the King of Fanelia. I want to see you, Van. I want you to hold me in your arms once again, like you did when I left your world to return to my own. Van, do you want me there? Do you want me with you now? Right now?" She waited.

In the outskirts of the capital of Fanelia

---

Van was with his surveyors, going over the plans to build an aqueduct that would channel water from the Vinsorii River to and through the city and on to the Sorvonii River, which led to the sea. It was an ambitious plan, but one that would ensure the continued prosperity of the city as it grew.

"That path, there. Before the tree line. It is the lowest point, and will require the least amount of work for the aqueduct," the lead surveyor said, pointing to the location north of the city, then pointing to the same point on the map he held out in front of him.

"But that low point continues through a fifth of the city. What will happen during the rainy season? Won't that part of the city get flooded?" the king asked.

"We will erect a barrier along that stretch of the channel, at least three, perhaps 4 cubits high to prevent such an occurrence," the surveyor assured him.

The king considered this plan for a minute, then shook his head. "No, the Vinsorii Forest is one of the most beautiful sights to behold, even from within the city. To erect a barrier such as that would block that view for hundreds of people. Besides, how deep would that barrier need to be to prevent it from giving way to erosion? No, in the long run it will be just as much work to channel the aqueduct through the forest and out at this point."

He pointed at the map. "This way, if the river does flood, the low point is in the forest and not in the city. The trees and foliage could handle the extra water better than our roads and buildings."

The surveyor bowed respectfully. "As you wish, your Majesty." His assistants followed suit, then returned to their tent to begin plans for charting the monumental project.

Van mounted his horse and looked out over his city once again. Smiling, his thoughts began to wander. "Hitomi, I wish you could see what we have already done and what we still plan to do."

At that instant, he gasped as his eyes grew wide. A vision of Hitomi descending from the sky and into his arms appeared to him. _'But where, where are you descending to?' _When he recognized the place, he immediately took off on a full gallop toward the castle.

_'Hitomi, you've come at last. I've waited for you and thought about you constantly as you wished, but you never came. But… but now you've arrived. I'm coming, Hitomi. I'm coming,' _the king mused as he rode through his city. At that moment the jewel he wore around his neck began to glow and oscillate.

On the track field at Kamakura-Kita High School

---

In her mind's eye, Hitomi saw the jewel that was her grandmother's, the jewel that was hers until she gave it to Van. She saw it swinging in perfect time. She saw Van standing in the garden behind the castle, his arms extended up towards the sky, a broad smile across his face, that beautiful smile she loved so dearly.

Suddenly a bright light and a sudden feeling of warmth overwhelmed her. Thinking quickly, she reached out and grabbed hold of her bag as she felt her body go weightless. Keeping her eyes closed the whole time, she kept her concentration on Van and his warm smiling face.

Slowly the sensation of rising up into the sky changed to one of descending down from it. She kept her focus on Van still; having gone through this before, she knew it would be awhile before she got close to the ground. When the moment felt right, she opened her eyes and looked down. She saw Van standing in midst of the palace garden, smiling up at her, his arms stretched out to welcome her back, back to Gaea.

AN: The dictionary defines a cubit as an ancient unit of measurement ranging from about 15 to 17 inches. That definition has no bearing here. Here a cubit is about two meters long, so 3 cubits is 6 meters, or more than 18 feet. Pretty tall wall.


	4. Reunited

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 4

At the King's palace in Fanelia on Gaea

---

"I'm glad you finally came," Van said as he escorted Hitomi to her room. "But I must admit, I was starting to wonder if you were going to come at all."

"What do you mean? It's only been four days since we communicated in our vision," she replied.

"Well, perhaps only four days have passed on the Mystic Moon, but here it's been nearly three weeks," Van explained.

"Three weeks?" The shock was evident in her voice and in her expression. "How much time has passed since I left Gaea?"

"Almost half a year," Van answered.

"Half a year? But I've only been gone six weeks." She looked down at the floor as they walked. "I can't believe so much time has passed. I don't understand how this whole time-space thing works, not at all."

"Well, no need to concern yourself with that now. You're here and that's what's important." Van smiled.

Hitomi tried to put her concerns aside and enjoy being in Van's presence.

"Here we are." The king opened the door to what would be her chambers.

"Whew! All this for me?" the teenage girl asked.

"Mmm Hmm," the king nodded. "I had this room built especially for you." He set her bag down on the bed and walked over to the large bay window. "From here you can see almost the entire city," he said as he pulled back the curtains.

Hitomi followed him over to the window. "That's amazing. You've rebuilt the entire city in just half a year."

"Well, almost the entire city. There's still much work to do, but it's coming along more quickly than anticipated," he said with a measure of pride. "My people have put their hearts and souls into rebuilding our city," he added as he gazed out at his city.

Hitomi slowly shifted her gaze from the city to the king's profile. She smiled to herself as she watched him look out over the city. _'He's so handsome. I never noticed how handsome he was before. And he's gotten taller as well. I guess that's natural. I mean, he's no older than me, or at least he wasn't before I left. I still can't get over how much time has passed here. It makes no sense. Well, Hitomi, worrying about it won't change anything. Just enjoy your time here. Your time with him.'_

Suddenly, Van shifted his attention back to her. "Is there anything you'd like right now? Are you hungry, tired?" A smiled crossed his face when he realized she had been staring at him.

Hitomi, who continued to stare during Van's questions, finally realized what she'd been doing and quickly turned away, her cheeks immediately burning a fiery red with embarrassment as she stuttered a response. "Hmm, n… no, no I… I'm fine, just f… fine. I… I'd like to see m… more of the c… city, i… if you d…don't mind." She forced a smiled at him. _'Smooth, Hitomi, really smooth, he probably thinks you're about as silly as a girl can get.'_

"Very well, do you know how to ride a horse?" he asked, showing no sign of impatience or anger on his part.

"A horse?" Her eyes went wide.

"Yes, that is the easiest way to see the city and surrounding countryside," he replied.

"Hmm, no… but if you're willing to teach me, I'm willing to learn." She grinned.

"Fine." He smiled back. "I'll have two horses readied for us." He looked at the clothes she was wearing. "Did you bring along any pants?"

"Pants?"

"Yes, it might be a little embarrassing to ride in a dress," he pointed out.

"Oh." She went red-faced again. "N…no I, I didn't think to bring along pants. Sorry."

"That's alright; I'll have one of the maids lend you a pair," he said then headed for the door.

As he walked away, a frown slowly spread across her face. _'He didn't even say anything about my outfit. I knew I should have worn the blue one instead.'_

Just as Van started to close the door behind him, he suddenly turned around. "Oh, by the way. You look very pretty in that dress."

"OH! You think so?" Hitomi blushed for the third time in as many minutes as she spun around so he could get a better look at the whole outfit.

"Yes, those colors suit you."

"Thank you, Van."

He smiled and closed the door behind him.

The young teen walked over to the bed and sat down with a thud. "Well, what do you know? He did notice." She smiled to herself as she fell back onto the bed. "I spent so much time with him before. Why does it feel like this is our first date or something? It feels… weird." Her smile grew. "I like it."


	5. The Proud King

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 5

Along the north end of the city

---

"Currently, we're in the process of building an aqueduct from the Vinsorii River, through the forest, and into the city. It will follow that path through the forest." He pointed.

"Amazing, but why do you need an aqueduct through the city?" Hitomi asked.

"It will ensure the future prosperity of Fanelia. By having a source of fresh water running through the city, we'll be able to grow without putting a burden on the city's water supply." He turned his horse about to face his guest. "Would you like to see what we've done so far?"

"Hmm, yes, I'd like that," she replied. _'He's so proud of what he's done for his kingdom. He really is a king.'_

As they rode towards the river at a slow trot, Hitomi asked, "So, have you seen or heard from any of the others in the past six months?"

"Others?" Van asked coyly.

"You know: Chid, Millerna, Allen," she said timidly.

"We've established trade routes with both Asturia and Freid. Both Prince Chid and Princess Millerna were here in Fanelia just two months ago. We held a great festival in their honor, it was quite wonderful." He gave a half smile.

"Sounds wonderful. I wish I could have been here for that." Hitomi smiled.

"I wish you would have been here as well." Van's smile faded.

_'Oh my, is he upset that I didn't try to contact him sooner?'_ She turned away, not wanting to see the stern look on his face.

"But I'm glad you're here now," he continued.

Gasping slightly, she looked over at him to see him smiling once again. Seeing his beautiful smile caused her to smile as well. "So am I."

They rode for the next twenty minutes in comfortable silence, simply enjoying the other's company. Every once in a while one would glance over and smile till the other turned and smiled back, then they would turn their attention back down the path.

AN: First let me take a moment to thank the kind folks that reviewed my first couple chapters. I wasn't sure how this story was going to be received with the chapters being so short. But by doing it this way, I'll be able to post more often than I normally would.

This is my first attempt at writing an Escaflowne fic, and I must say I'm more than a little nervous about it since I've only watched the show in its entirety once. If I make any errors when referring to past events or places please feel free to let me know so I can correct them. Again, thank you for your kind words. I hope you enjoy where I'll be taking this story.

A. Amishi


	6. Dinner and the Deadly Vision

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 6

Later that evening back at the castle

---

"So where is she?" an impatient Merle asked as she played with her fork.

"She'll be along shortly," Van assured her as he sat at the head of the table with his hands clasped under his nose and his elbows on the table. "She wanted to wash up and change before dinner."

Just then the door to the dining hall opened and a maid walked in, followed by Hitomi.

"Your Majesty, the Lady Hitomi." The maid bowed and slowly backed out of the room.

Van and the other male guests at the table all stood up and took note of the vision in blue. The dress she wore was similar to the one Millerna had given her, except this one was all blue without the frills on the shoulders, and not as full in the skirt.

"Hitomi." Van's eyes traveled up and down her body. "You look…"

Before he could finish, a loud, "HITOMI!" filled the room as Merle flung herself into the girl's arms and licked her face.

Hitomi laughed. "It's good to see you too, Merle," she said, returning the catgirl's hug.

"I missed you. Not as much as Lord Van, but I missed you still," the catgirl informed her.

"I missed you too, Merle," the teenager replied.

"Really? Did you really miss me?" Merle grinned widely.

"Well… not as much as I missed Van, but I missed you still." The catgirl narrowed her eyes at the teen until she saw the girl's playful smile. Then she smiled back and licked her face one last time before jumping out of Hitomi's arms, saying. "Let's eat!"

"Please, Hitomi, sit here." Van gestured to the seat to his right.

She nodded and walked over to the chair.

Before she sat down, Van continued, "Let me introduce you to my ministers."

Hitomi stopped herself from sitting and placed her hands together.

Gesturing from left to right, Van proceeded. "This is our minister of the interior, Sir Baschan. He has overseen all of the reconstruction of our city." The minister bowed respectfully to Hitomi.

"Next to him is our minister of trade, Sir Charson. He was instrumental in establishing our trade agreements with Freid and Asturia." This minister did as the last, bowing respectfully to the king's honored guest.

"This is our minister of state, Sir Vallentii, who has been working tirelessly at establishing peaceful alliances with our neighbors to ensure that war is a thing of the past here in Fanelia." Again the minister bowed.

"And lastly, but perhaps most importantly, our minister of defense, Sir Beckett. While peace is what we all strive for, we mustn't deceive ourselves in believing that this is the wish of all the kingdoms of Gaea."

"Ma'Lady" The minister bowed deeply.

"Gentlemen," Hitomi curtseyed low and held the position. "It is an honor to meet the men in whose hands King Van places the fate of Fanelia in." Then she rose and gently took her seat. Picking up her napkin, she delicately wiped Merle's saliva from her face, taking a moment to steal a glance at the ministers.

She could hear Merle whisper, "Oh, brother." But seeing the approving nods and smiles amongst the ministers, she knew she had impressed them all. She smiled to herself and set her napkin down.

-

Dinner went by pleasantly enough. While Merle gave her full attention to her meal, paying no mind to the issues of politics and trade being bantered about, Hitomi listened intently, but chose to remain silent, stealing long glances at Van as he posed questions to and answered questions from his ministers.

_'I can't believe this is the same Van that I saw just six weeks ago. He's matured so much. Before all he was interested in was fighting and war. Now look at him. Dealing with issue of trade, infrastructure and politics and he's only fifteen. It's amazing but …' _She smiled, _'He's amazing.'_

"What do you think, Hitomi?" Van asked.

"Huu?" The teen was snapped out of her stupor.

Merle snickered under her breath as she stared at Hitomi with hooded eyes.

"Perhaps matters of trade fail to capture the young lady's fancy," Sir Charson joked, eliciting a light-hearted laughter from the other ministers.

Hitomi lowered her head in embarrassment as her cheeks turned a bright red.

Van smiled politely. "I'm sure Lady Hitomi simply found her meal more interesting than our boring dribble. Or perhaps you were in the midst of a vision?"

"A vision? Surely you don't believe in such things, Your Majesty?" Sir Beckett said.

"Surely, I do. Hitomi's visions saved my life many times during our struggle against the Zaibach Empire," Van said firmly. Turning his attention to his guest, "Please, Hitomi, tell me what you see."

"Well," She turned a pale shade of red once again. "You see Van… actually I…" She gasped.

_'What is this? A ship, we're on a ship. We're sailing, but to where? To Asturia, yes, we're sailing to Asturia. To meet with Princess Millerna and… and Allen.'_

She gasped.

_'Allen and Van are fighting. No! Why are they fighting? Allen, no! Van! Wait… they're not fighting, they're practicing, and they're training together. Now they're laughing together. And.. and Allen's sister. She's so beautiful… and shy. But she's taken by Van. She thinks Van is very handsome, and he is. Time has passed and we are ready to leave. The ship's holds are full and we leave with well wishes from all. The journey back to Fanelia seems uneventful but… what is that? The moon hangs low in the sky and in the horizon a storm is coming, a fierce storm. The ship is in danger and Van is with the crew trying to save the ship. What's this? Merle, what are you doing on deck during the storm? She's afraid for Van's safety. She's rushing over to him when a wave…'_

Hitomi jumped to her feet and screamed, "NO!"

"Hitomi? What's wrong?" Van stood up quickly and reached out to her, but stopped short of touching her, not sure if he should arouse her from her trance.

_'Merle, no! She… she got washed overboard. Van… Van is trying to save her; he's ready to jump overboard to save her, but the crew, they stop him, they hold him down. Merle, I can't see Merle. There, there she is. No! She's… she's under the water. She can't breath. She's drowning. She's dying. She's… dead.'_

Hitomi collapsed back in her chair, gasping for breath and staring at Merle with infinite sadness in her eyes.

The room was deathly silent. No one knew what to do or say.

AN: I hope you found this interesting. Will this vision come true, or will Hitomi be able to alter the future and save Merle? Well, we won't find out for at least 4 or 5 more chapters. TeHeHeHe

Sorry about that; couldn't resist. Anyway, how am I doing in keeping the main characters IC? I don't think Hitomi is the kind of girl that would curtsy normally, but here she is trying to make a good impression and impress both Van and his ministers. Love will make people do odd things sometimes. Well, I hope you liked this one, I hope to have 2 or 3 more chapters posted over the weekend.

A. Amishi


	7. Concern for a Friend

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 7

On the landing at the roof of the castle, night time

---

Hitomi stood near the edge in a nightgown and robe given to her by a maid who had been instructed to acquire some clothes for her in the city. Looking out over the city and the star-filled sky, she felt a slight chill and shivered. Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her from behind. She knew instantly who was holding her and she leaned back into his embrace resting her head on his chest, letting out a faint sigh of contentment. 

"It's getting cold. You should go to your room." The king suggested.

"I will, in a minute." She whispered. "I just wanted to enjoy the night sky. It's so much more beautiful here in Gaea than it is on Earth."

Van tightened his hold on her slightly as they slipped into comfortable silence. After a few minutes, Van asked, "So are you ready to tell me what you saw in your vision?"

Hitomi sighed. _'I was hoping he would have forgotten about that.'_ She raised her hands and placed them over his arms, ensuring he would not remove them from their current position. "I… I saw us journeying to Asturia and meeting Princess Millerna and Allen Schezar along with his sister, Celena. All will be well until we return. When the moon hangs low in the sky, we will set sail for Fanelia and four days later we'll be caught in a terrible storm. You'll be fighting to keep the ship afloat. Merle will run out onto the deck fearing your safety."

"Merle?"

"Yes. When she runs to you, she'll be swept overboard by a wave that nearly tips the ship over. You try to save her but it's too late. She's gone." Hitomi tightened her hold on his arms. "She's dead."

They fell into silence once again.

Finally Van said, "Well then, I just won't allow her to go with us to Asturia, that's all."

"Easier said than done." The teenage girl replied.

"Huh?" He tilted his head to the side to get a look at her face.

She turned her head slightly to give him a look at her profile. "You know Merle. How often does she leave your side for more than a few hours at a time? There's no way you're going to be able to persuade her to stay behind. Even if you try to force her to stay, she'll find a way to sneak onto the ship." She turned around in his arms and looked up into his eyes. "She loves you. She'll do almost anything to stay by your side."

Van gave her a sad smile. "You do know how I feel about you, don't you?" He held her tight.

Hitomi laid her check against his chest. "I know. I feel the same way." She said as her hands ran over his strong, lean back. "So what do we do about Merle?"

Van's eyes went wide. "What do you mean?"

"About my vision of course. I don't want anything bad to happen to her and I surely don't want her to die." She replied with her cheek still pressed against the king's chest.

Van's face reddened for a moment as he slowly exhaled. Noticing the sudden change in his respiration, the brown-haired girl lifted her head and looked up at him. "What did you think I meant?"

Looking off in the distance, Van replied, "I… I don't know."

Not sure whether to believe him or not, Hitomi chose not to press the issue. _'What's important is finding a way to keep Merle safe.' _ She thought. Resting her cheek back on Van's chest, she uttered, "Maybe we can just not leave Asturia while the moon hangs low in the sky. If we stay just a few extra days, that should be enough for the storm to pass."

"An excellent idea." Van replied, running his hands up and down her back. "That's just what we'll do."

The young teen smiled and nuzzled in his chest more closely. They stayed like this for a few moments until another shiver went up the girl's spine. 

"Its getting late and cold. Let me escort you to your room." The king voiced.

The girl nodded and pulled away from him but took hold of his hand as they walked toward the stairs.

All the way from the roof to her chambers, the two kept exchanging glances without uttering a word. They were content simply to be in each other's presence and didn't want words or sound for that matter to shatter the spell that seemed to captivate them both. When they reached the chamber door, Van took the girl's other hand causing her to face him. 

"I have to see to the arrangements for our voyage tomorrow morning but perhaps we can have our mid-day meal together." He proposed.

"I'd like that." She smiled. 

"Good. I'll have a carriage ready to bring you to me at noon." He smiled as he gently raised a hand to caress her cheek. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his hand on her skin; smiling unconsciously at his warm, gentle touch. "Goodnight Hitomi."

Slowly, she opened her eyes to see a sweet gentle expression on his face. A look she never saw from him before. _'I never knew he was capable of such kindness.'_ She mused. "Goodnight Van." She whispered, feeling a sense of loss as his hand retreated to his side. And just like that the moment was over. He turned and walked away without another word. She turned and opened the door to her room, entering slowly. Once inside, she pressed her back to the door to close it as she relived the last twenty minutes with Van in her mind. She hugged herself tightly, imagining her arms were Van's as she closed her eyes and remembered his touch, his smell, and his smile. 

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Let me start by saying I'm sorry I didn't post this over the weekend as I promised. But hopefully Monday is not too late. ^__^ Again, thanks for the wonderful reviews. I'm really glad you guys are enjoying this. I know I'm really enjoyed writing it.


	8. Facing the Catgirl

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 8

In Hitomi's chamber within the castle

---

"Are you going to stand there all night long?" A familiar obnoxious voice sounded.

Opening her eyes quickly, she looked over at the bed to see Merle sitting up like a cat at the foot of the bed. 

"Merle, how long have you been sitting there?" Hitomi asked, glad that it was too dark in the room for the young feline to make out her crimson face.

"Mmm, not long." Merle purred as she licked that back of her right hand. "I was up on the roof before coming here."

"WHAT!" Hitomi screamed as she rushed over to the bed. "What did you see?"

"If you're worried about me turning you into a scratch-pole because you were in Lord Van's arms, don't worry about it." She said calmly.

This stopped the teen, dead in her tracks. "What?"

"I said don't worry about it." She put her hand down on the bed. "I know Lord Van loves you and I know you love him too." She looked away from the older teen. "I've learned to accept it." Besides, I get to spend more time with him than you do, so I guess I can't complain too much." She jumped off the bed and spring over to the bay window. Looking out over the city, she continued. "Ever since we were children, I dreamed that someday Lord Van would make me his bride. It's a dream I've had since I can remember. But ever since you returned to the Mystic Moon the first time, I knew Lord Van's heart didn't belong to me anymore. To be honest, I don't know if it ever really did." She turned to look at Hitomi. "No, what I want to know is what you saw in your vision. I know it was about me. I could tell be the way you were looking at me at dinner and later on the roof. I know you were talking to Lord Van about me, I just couldn't make out what exactly you were saying." She stepped closer to the bed. "So tell me Hitomi, what did you see?"

Hitomi turned away, unable to endure the power of the young catgirl's gaze. "Nothing, it was nothing, really. I just got overexcited, that's all."

Merle stepped in front of the teen forcing the girl to meet her powerful gaze. "Do I look that stupid to you? I'm not an idiot Hitomi and I'm not a child you have to protect from the truth. Now tell me what you saw." She insisted.

The girl from the Mystic Moon gasped slightly. The catgirl had always been forward and outspoken but this took her by surprise. She looked to one side trying once again to avoid the catgirl's gaze. 

"Stop that!" Merle yelled stepping into Hitomi's line of sight again. "Stop playing games with me and tell me!" 

This time Hitomi looked squarely into the younger girl's eyes. _'So much sadness, so much fear; fear of the unknown. Should I tell her? Yes, she deserves the truth, I owe her that much.'_ Hitomi grew in a breath and steeled herself for Merle's reaction. "I had a vision of our voyage to Asturia. Everything will be going along fine until we set sail to return to Fanelia. Four days into the voyage, we'll be caught in the middle of a terrible storm. Van will be in deck and…"

"Something terrible happens to Lord Van?" Merle jumped back, holding her clinched hands to her mouth.

"No, no. Van is fine… It's you Merle. You get thrown overboard by a wave that almost capsizes the ship. We never see you again." The teen said sadly.

"What do you mean you never see me again? Where do I go?" Merle's puzzled expression told Hitomi the feline really didn't understand.

__

'About as sharp as a bowling ball.' Hitomi sighed. "Don't you get it Merle? You don't go anywhere, except to the bottom of the sea. You drown, you die."

Merle just stared at the brown-haired girl for a minute then gave a crocked smile. "Is that all?"

"What do you mean is that all? Don't you understand? If you're on that deck when the storm hits, you're going to die."

"So," Merle turned around and waved her off, "I just won't be on the deck that's all. Gosh Hitomi, you sure know how to get a person all worked up over nothing." She said over her shoulder as she walked to the door.

"Nothing! I hardly think your death is nothing." An angry Hitomi insisted.

"Like you said, I die because I'm on the deck. So, I won't be on the deck. I can sleep through just about anything. So on the forth day at sea, I'll go below and take a catnap. By the time I wake up, the storm will be over and no one will be dead, least of all me." She pulled open the door and turned to give teen one last look.

"You know, you worry way too much. It's times like this I wonder way I missed you so much." With that she closed the door behind her.

With clinched fists and gritted teeth, Hitomi rose to a not so slow boil. Finally, unable to contain herself any longer she yelled. "It's times like this I wonder way I even care if anything happens to you, you weird catgirl!" She spun around and plopped down on the bed. "HUMPH!" She folded her arms over her chest and fumed for a few more minutes. _'Stupid catgirl.'_

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, that's it for tonight. I hope to have another three chapters posted during the week but don't hold me to that. ^___^


	9. The Merchant Fleet

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 9

In the carriage riding through the city, heading for the coast

---

Hitomi sat up on the seat looking out the carriage window at the sights of the city as they passed by. Currently, the carriage was taking her through the market district of town on its way to the coast. All sorts of shops lined the way. Vendors were selling everything from breads and wines to fresh meat and fish, from raw fabrics to tailored gowns, and everything in between. 

__

'I can't get over how alive this city is. It was less then a year ago when the entire city was devastated by Dilandau and his Zaibach Guymelefs. Looking at it now, I could hardly believe such a thing actually happened.' She mused.

As the carriage left the city limits and followed the road down to the coast, Hitomi caught sight of a huge pile of charred debris where several workers were busy shoveling it onto ox-like drawn carts. Seeing the men laboring hard to do away with the remains of the old city caused her smile to vanish and when she spotted what she was certain was the skeletal remains of a human hand being tossed into the cart by the unsuspecting worker, she turned away, fighting the urge to cry. 

"It was no nightmare. It really did happen and people really did lose their lives here." She closed her eyes and sat back. This was not the reason she came back to Gaea. Remembering the war and the destruction it brought was something she wished she could purge from her mind forever. "Van… he's the reason I'm here. I'm here because of Van." The image of the king as he caressed her face last night came back to her. A look filled with compassion and love. Reflecting on that image brought her smile back. She held onto that thought the rest of the way to the seashore. 

As the carriage came to as halt, one of Van's personal attendants approached the carriage and opened the door, extending a hand to help the young lady down. 

"Thank you." The young lady offered. 

The servant bowed deeply. "It is my pleasure Ma'Lady."

Looking around the modest port she asked. "Where is Lord Van?"

"His Majesty is completing his inspection of his flag ship, The Lady Vari. He should be along any moment now." He informed her.

"Oh, well thank you. By the way, my name's Hitomi Kanzaki." She extended her hand. "What's your name?" 

The servant gasped and took a step back bowing low. "Ma'am, I am but a humble servant. I do not deserve to be regarded in such a familiar way by the Priestess from the Mystic Moon."

"Priestess? Who ever said I was a Priestess? I'm just a normal high school girl. Okay, I may be from the Mystic Moon, but that doesn't make me anyone special." She tried to assure him.

Slowly the servant began to straighten up when they heard the commanding voice of the king. 

"Hitomi!" He waved as he walked up the pier to greet his guest. As Hitomi turned to wave back to him, the servant used this opportunity to make a hasty retreat. 

"Oh, he's gone." She whispered as she looked back to where the attendant had been just a moment ago.

"I'm glad you were able to make it." Van said as walked up to her and pulled her into a warm embrace. 

The brown-haired girl was startled just for a moment as she wrapped her arms around his waist and shared the hug with him. _'Mmm, I can get used to this.'_ She smiled.

As Van pulled away and took her hand he asked. "Was there a problem with my attendant?"

"Problem? No, no problem." She replied.

"Good." He began to guide her up a short path to a clearing that overlooked the port. "I've arranged to have our meal served to us up here. In this way you can have a clear view of the sea." He explained as they walked hand-in-hand.

"Thank you. That was very thoughtful." She smiled.

At the top of the clearing, a canopy was erected with a table and two chairs under it. Two servants stood at the ready to seat and serve the king and his guest. As they took their seats, Van asked. "So, what do think of our merchant fleet?" He gestured to the six ships docked long the port.

Hitomi looked at the six modestly sized ships and grinned. Well, it's very… very…"

"Small." Van finished. "I know, but it is a start. Until now, Fanelia has never had a merchant fleet. Since we're surrounded by forest with only this small path serving as an outlet to the sea, we've never seen a need for a merchant fleet before. Fanelia had always been rather self-sufficient."

"And now?" Hitomi asked.

"Times change. With our boarder so close to the Zaibach Empire and our kingdom so small, we've had to take precautions to ensure we never have a repeat of the devastation that occurred a year ago."

"So you've…"

"Well, we have a standing army that is five times the size of the army we had before the attack and we've established both political and economic ties with our neighboring kingdoms. This small fleet is just the start of what I hope will someday be a great fleet that will trade with other kingdoms all over Gaea."

Hitomi smiled. "That's great, but wouldn't it be better to have the kind of flying ships that Freid has for its merchant fleet."

Van took a drink from his mug. "Its part of a compromise we've had to make with our neighbors. Since we've built an army so large, we're considered a threat by some of our own allies. So to ensure our peaceful intentions we agreed not to have an airborne fleet. It is a handicap but one that I've deemed acceptable."

"But why so much concern over the Zaibach Empire? I mean Dornkirk is dead. Surely, they're not a threat any longer, are they?" 

"One cannot be too sure. Yes, Dornkirk is gone but there are still several generals that via for power within the Empire. Zaibach has been very unstable these past six months. Leadership has changed hands at least four times and there seems to be no end in sight. If a more militant faction seizes control, they may use Zaibach's considerable military might to expend their sphere of control. That would bring them in direct conflict with Fanelia. I will not allow my kingdom to be the object of another Zaibach power play."

The forcefulness of the king's last statement caused Hitomi to gasp slightly and turn way.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get so worked up." He smiled and placed a comforting hand on hers. "As for now, my agents assure me there is little chance of any type of invasion from the Zaibach. They have to many internal problems to worry about expansion at this time." 

The servants set their plates before them and bowed politely. 

"Well, shall we eat?" The kings asked with a smile.

"Yes, lets." His special guest smiled back and picked up her fork.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Okay, now before I get blasted for referring to Hitomi as a Priestess, let me explain where that came from. From what I recall, in the Escaflowne Movie, she is referred to as the Winged Goddess. That is not what I'm referring to here. Rather, I borrowed the idea from Fushigi Yugi, the idea of a girl from a different world being regarded as a priestess. Here it is simply a rumor going around be the common folk. But as she says to the servant, she denies any such title or position. 

To all those who've taken the time to review my story, thank you so very much for your words of encouragement. It really means allot to me. ^___^ 

A. Amishi


	10. Aboard the Lady Vari

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 10

Aboard the merchant ship, The Lady Vari

---

"So this is your flag ship?" Hitomi said with a smile, leaning up against the main mast.

Van smiled sheepishly and turned way quickly. "I know it must seem silly, naming a ship after my mother…"

"No." Hitomi stepped close to him and placed her hand upon his cheek to get his full attention. "I think it's nice. A man should always have great love and respect for his mother. No matter how important he may become."

Van placed his hand over hers and smiled down at her. "Thank you."

The girl from the Mystic Moon allowed herself to be lost in the moment briefly until she heard the light murmuring and quiet laughter of some of the ships crew. Quickly she turned around and walked to the front of the ship hiding the bright pink tone her face changed to. Glancing back over her shoulder for a moment she asked. "So when do we set sail for Asturia?" 

The king looked back at the nosy crewmen and gave them a stern glare. The men immediately found work to attend to elsewhere. Then he walked over to where Hitomi was leaning up against to port side of the stern, looking out over the sea. 

"We sail the day after tomorrow. If the winds are with us, we should arrive at the port of Palas within twelve days." He answered as he stood next to her looking out over the sea as well. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Hitomi looked up at him and smiled.

After hearing no reply, the young king turned to see her staring up at him with an angelic smile. "What?"

She shook her head and looked back out over the waters. "Nothing really. It's just, well before you never seemed to notice things like this. It seemed like the only thing you were interested in was fighting."

He smiled to himself. "I suppose that's true. But it wasn't as if I didn't have a good reason to be preoccupied. My kingdom had just been destroyed and I was in exile. Or don't you remember." He teased.

"Of course I remember." Hitomi gave him a playful scowl then became very serious. "Though I often wish I didn't."

Van placed his arm around her shoulders and held her close. "I know what you mean. We lost a quarter of our cities population that day. Some of them, people I knew since I was a small child. But that is why I'm determined to forge a new brighter future for my people and for all of Gaea, if I can." 

Stealing a look up at his proud, determined looking face, she smiled, "Van?"

He shifted his gazed down to her. "Yes Hitomi?"

Her smile grew for a moment then she rested the side of her face against his chest. "Nothing." She answered closing her eyes and enjoying the combined sent of the sea air and Van's distinct aroma.

Gently he rested his cheek on the top of her head and closed his eyes as well. _'I could get used to this. Queen Hitomi Fanel of Fanelia. I like the sound of that.'_ He mused.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Can you believe Hitomi's only been in Gaea for a little over a day? Well, things are going to move along a little faster now. They better or I'll be writing this one visit, which is supposed to be about a month, over the next year and I have no plans on doing that. As I stated in the description, this fic will cover several visits by Hitomi to Gaea over the next three years. Eventually, she'll have to make a decision as to whether to stay and become Van's queen or return home forever. But I digress, that is still a long ways off. Hope you've liked these last two chapters. Hope to have more before the week is out.

A. Amishi

PS: 43 days till ACEN'03 ^___^


	11. Sour Fruit

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 11

Aboard the merchant ship, The Lady Vari; four days at sea

---

Hitomi stood about twelve feet from the master as he steered the merchant ship on a steady course for Palas, the capital of Asturia. As the ship rolled on moderately sized waves, the Hitomi looked out over the approaching horizon enjoying the sight of the endless sea. Her enjoyment was temporarily interrupted by an energetic catgirl who was prancing up the stairs to the quarterdeck with two citrus fruits in her hands and one in her mouth. 

Stopping next to the master first she handed him one of the yellow fruits then she turned and tossed the one she had in her mouth at the teenage girl. "Here!" She said as she threw it.

Acting on instinct Hitomi caught it in mid-flight. "Ewww! Is that drool?" She held the offensive object away from herself with her thumb and index finger. "You don't actually expect me to eat this sloppy thing."

"Just kidding." Merle said, walking up to the girl and taking the wet fruit from her and handing her the other one. "Besides, you eat what's inside silly."

Holding the lemon-like fruit in her dry hand, she rubbed her other hand on top of Merle's head. "Thanks Merle, I appreciate it." She said with a sarcastic smile.

Through narrowed eyes, the catgirl snarled at her and took a snap at her hand, which she quickly withdrew.

"So where's Van?" The teen asked.

"LORD Van is down below." The catgirl replied as she peeled her fruit.

"Still not feeling well I guess." 

"His Majesty doesn't seem to have your legs." The captain remarked.

"Excuse me?" A wide-eyed Hitomi and Merle responded in unison.

"Sea legs. His Majesty doesn't have your sea legs." Clarified the captain.

"Oh." They replied in unison again then stared at each other.

"I hope Van doesn't stay sick for the whole trip." Hitomi worried aloud.

"Stop calling him just Van." Merle whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Its one thing when you do that when the two of you are alone but in front of his subjects you need to address him properly. He is a king remember." Merle continued in a hushed voice.

"Oh, yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry." The teen gave a sheepish grin.

"Humph! Silly girl." The feline replied as she bit into a wedge of her fruit. Instantly, her face puckered up from its extreme sourness. So intense was its flavor that her mouth began to drawl and her eyes began to water. 

Hitomi didn't even try to contain her laughter, which caused the Merle to shoot her a wicked glare before she pranced down the stairs, across the deck and up the bowsprit where she sat and finished her fruit.

Finally able to control her laughter, the teen peeled her fruit and bit into a wedge. Instantly her face puckered up and her eyes and mouth watered. This drew a light chuckle from the master who was eating his fruit, skin and all without so much as a flinch.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Okay, I'll admit it. I've got a thing for catgirls. ^_^ So be sure to expect to see plenty of Merle throughout. Sorry no Van here but he'll be back soon enough. 

Again thanks for all the great reviews I really, really appreciate each and every one of them. ^____^

Just to let you know; a master is the captain of the flagship of a merchant fleet.

Amishi 

PS: Just 42 days till ACEN'03!!!


	12. Rivalry of Love

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 12

Aboard the Lady Vari, 10 days at sea

---

Hitomi sat on a pickle barrel, secured to the port side of the ship, looking out over the gently rolling sea. Drawn into a mild trance by the sound of the waves lapping up against the side of the ship. So enthralled by the sights and sounds of the sea, she failed to hear the sound of familiar footsteps approaching her. 

The gentle touch on her shoulder caused her to jump in shock. "My goodness!" She turned to smile at her host. 

"I didn't mean to scare you." Van assured her, rubbing her shoulders gently.

She leaned up against his side. "It's okay."

"Were you in the midst of a vision?" He enquired.

"No, just enjoying the sea." She grinned.

"I never knew you were such a lover of the sea." The king seemed pleased to learn something new about his guest.

"Neither did I." She saw the confusion in his expression and went on to explain. "I've never been on the sea till now. I've never even been on a boat before. But I must say, I do love it." She took in a large breath. "It's so peaceful and the air is so fresh. It's just beautiful."

Van gave a skeptical smile.

"Sorry, I guess you don't share my love for the sea. How are you feeling? Better I hope, since you're up and about." 

"Hmm, I think I've finally found my sea legs but I don't think I'll be eating any big meals anytime soon." 

"You hardly eat as it is. I eat more than you do. It's embarrassing." She informed him.

"Then don't make such a pig of yourself." An obnoxious voice said from behind. 

Turning she found herself face to face with Merle who was sitting cat-like on the barrel behind hers. "You're one to talk. You eat more than Lord Van and I combined." She snapped.

Merle stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips, pointing her nose in the air. "That's because I'm a growing girl, I need my energy."

"Keep eating like that and you'll be growing in the wrong direction." Hitomi whispered. This drew a mild chuckle from the king and a glare from the feline.

"I heard that!" She snarled. 

"Calm down Merle. I'm sure Hitomi didn't mean anything by it." Van assured her.

"Hmm." She huffed as she turned around and dropped down in a normal sitting position. 

"Tell you what, why don't you ask the captain how much longer it will be before we reach Palas? Can you do me that favor Merle?" Her king asked.

She instantly jumped off the barrel and onto the deck. "Anything for you Lord Van." She smiled and ran off towards the helm.

"I wish you two would learn to get along better." Van said with a hint of sadness.

"Oh," Seeing his expression, she frowned for a moment as well but quickly recovered her smile. "But we do get along." She assured him. "We just enjoy some good natured ribbing once in awhile, that's all."

"Seems like the ribbing is more than just once in awhile." He voiced his opinion.

"Mmm, well, I guess I can try to be more civil." Hitomi said looking away momentarily.

"I'd like that. You know she's been with me since we were just children." He looked over his shoulder up at the helm to see Merle talking to the captain. "I suspect she'll be with me till I die." 

"Oh." A look of surprise and disappointment crossed the teens face.

"Is something wrong?" The king asked turning his attention back to the young woman at his side.

"Well, it's just." She considered her next words very carefully. "Don't get me wrong. I like Merle, really I do. But, well, I guess I never thought about what it would be like to have her around, always." She turned back toward the sea. "It just wasn't a prospect I had considered." 

The young king sat next to her on the barrel and pulled her closer to him with his arm around her shoulder. "You once told me you had a little brother. Can't you think of Merle as your little sister?"

"Hmm," Hitomi gave him a crocked smile. "Yeah, the sister who has a crush on the man I love."

At that instant, his expression changed. 

__

'It's that look. The one he gave me on my first night back on Gaea. That beautiful look.'

Lost in his eyes, Hitomi found herself drawn towards Van and he towards her. Slowly as their lips drew closer, their eyes slowly began to drift shut. 

__

'What a more perfect moment than this for our first kiss? One more reason to love the sea.' She thought as they drew even closer.

And just as their lips were about to touch, Merle jumped up on the barrel they were sharing and yelled right into their ears. "Seven more days to Palas!"

Van, who was sitting on the edge of the barrel, fell unceremoniously to the deck. Hitomi nearly had a heart attack as she jumped off the barrel. Having lost her balance, she nearly fell over the side of the ship except for the quick reaction by Merle who grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Why you!" Hitomi spun around and slapped Merle so hard she sent the catgirl flying off the barrel and into a pile of ropes. 

Getting back up quickly the feline jumped back up on the barrel and snarled at the shorthaired teen. "What was that for!?" She yelled. "A fine way to express your gratitude for saving your life!"

"You wouldn't have had to save my life if you didn't scream in my ear in the first place!" The teen yelled back.

"I was just doing what Lord Van asked me to do!" Merle retaliated. 

"He didn't ask you to scare the living crap out of us!" Hitomi shot back.

"Well, if you weren't acting all googlie-eyed with him, you would have heard me coming!"

"You're just jealous because Van was about to kiss me!"

"PLEASE! You're not enough of a woman to make me jealous!"

"What did you just say!?"

"What are you deaf now too!?"

"Probably, after you screamed in my ear like that!"

"ENOUGH!" Van yelled, standing between the two women. "Hitomi, Merle, stop this!"

Looking from one then to the other, he saw the utterly hurt expressions on their faces caused by his loud outburst. Slowly, he turned and started walking way.

"Van" Hitomi reached out for him.

"Lord Van" Merle ran up beside him. "What's wrong?"

"I'm, just tired. I don't feel well. I'm going back down below to rest." He continued walking.

"Do you want me to bring you anything?" The catgirl offered, placing her hand on his arm

"No. I just want to be left alone." He gently removed her hand from his arm and went below.

Standing dumbfounded for a moment, Merle spun around and glared at Hitomi. "See what you did! You got Lord Van upset!"

"What I did!? You're the one that caused him to hit the floor! You're the one who's acting like a jealous little brat!" 

"At least I have a reason for my behavior! I'm still a child! What's your excuse!?"

Hitomi gasped. That comment caught her off guard. 

Seeing she gained the advantage, Merle turned her nose up at the teen, turned around and headed up the quarterdeck taking a position next to the ship's master.

Still in shock, Hitomi just stared at the feline for a moment longer until she saw the young catgirl stick her tongue out at her. "Humph!" She turned around and plopped back down on the barrel, cupping her left hand under her chin. "Stupid catgirl ruined everything." She muttered to herself.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Okay, I've got to say, that was lots of fun to write. ^_^ I hope it was just as much fun to read.

Again, thanks for all the wonderful reviews. By the way, if your as much a catgirl fan as I am, go to my website at www.noscams.org and check out the fanfiction section where my story "The Rise before the Fall" is. It's an Outlaw Star story featuring a Pre-Outlaw Star Aisha Clan Clan. It was my very first anime fanfic and I still love it very much. ^_^ Well, I'm pretty busy this weekend so I don't know if I'll be able to update till next week, but I will try. 

Amishi 

PS: Just 42 days till ACEN'03


	13. Friends Again

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 13

Aboard the Lady Vari, 11th day at sea

---

Merle sat alone on top of a pile of neatly wound ropes, eating her dinner. She had spent most of the last two days alone. She sighed quietly as she thought of how she arrived at this point. 

__

'Oh Lord Van, why won't you even talk to me? Why won't you even look at me? … I know why. It's all Hitomi's fault. If she hadn't hit me… No, that's not true. … It's all my fault. Why did I do that? It was just a kiss, but why did it bother me so much? I know you love Hitomi more than me. I've already accepted that. Then why did I get so anxious when you almost kissed her?'

She sighed again.

__

'Hitomi, I'm so sorry. I almost killed you and that last dig. That was just wrong. I need to tell her this. I need to set things right between her and me. But… but, I'm no good a apologizing. Maybe if we just don't speak for a few days, maybe she'll just forget about it and things can go back to the way they were before.'

Oblivious to what was going on around her, Merle was roused from her muse by a gentle voice.

"Mind if I sit here?"

"Ugh, oh Hitomi. No, not at all." She gulped after replying and stared intently at her food.

The girl from the Mystic Moon sat down on another roll of ropes that were next to the ones the catgirl was sitting on. She to spent the next few minutes staring intently at her meal.

Unable to take the silence any longer Merle spoke first. "Not eating down below today?"

"No." Hitomi responded calmly. "After being at sea for eleven days, the crew is starting to smell rather pungent." She looked over at Merle and saw the catgirl didn't understand. "They stink."

Merle's eyes went wide. "I know! All this water all around, you'd think those guys would take the time to bathe once in awhile."

"You'd think." Hitomi replied as the two girls enjoyed a mild laugh. Slowly the laughter faded, replaced once again by uncomfortable silence.

Tentatively, Hitomi spoke. "Merle," the catgirl looked up at her. "I just wanted to apologize for hitting you… and for yelling at you yesterday. You were right. You did save my life when you grabbed me. I'm sorry." The teen kept her gaze down on her food the whole time.

Merle smiled at first then her lips began to quiver and her eyes began to water up. "I'm sorry Hitomi. You were right. If I hadn't frightened you and Lord Van by screaming in your ears like I did, you wouldn't have needed saving. You were right when you called me a brat. I am one." She hung her head in shame.

Hitomi gasped, not expecting to hear an apology from the young feline, this response took her totally off guard. Looking at her now, she saw the genuine sadness and regret expressed by the younger girl and her heart went out to her. "No Merle, you're not a brat. You're… you're just a young girl in love, that's all. You can't help how you feel. I know you said you've learned to accept our feelings for each other but it still can't be easy seeing us act on those feelings."

Trying her best to blink away her tears, the catgirl nodded in agreement.

"Tell you what." Hitomi continued. "I'll do my best to make sure I don't overtly express my feelings for Lord Van when we're in public or when I know you're around. Okay?"

Merle nodded once again with a faint smile on her face. "Thanks Hitomi. Thanks for understanding."

"Hey, we girls got to stick together, right?" The teen declared.

"Right!" The catgirl grinned.

"I mean we can't be going to war with each other over some guy." She continued.

"Right!" 

"Even if he is a king, and incredibly handsome, and caring, and …" She rambled

"Hitomi, I think you're defeating your own argument." The catgirl interrupted her.

"Oh, hehe, sorry." The teen blushed and scratched the back of her head. "Got a little carried away I guess."

"I guess." Merle replied as she went back to eating her food.

"May I join you ladies?" A familiar voice said from behind. 

They both turned to see Van walking toward them.

"Lord Van!" Merle's face lit up with excitement as the young king sat on the floor in front of them.

"Of course Lord Van." Replied Hitomi, smiling brightly at him.

He smiled back at both of them as he set his mug down beside him and started picking at his food with his fork.

"Not eating down below today, Your Majesty?" Hitomi asked.

"No." He took a mouthful of food and washed it down with some ale. "I thought the fresh sea air might help my appetite." 

"Can't stand the smell either, can you Lord Van?" Merle asked.

After a short pause, Van replied. "No, I can't." They shared a light chuckle and continued eating. 

Finishing her food before anyone else, Merle got up and announced her plans to get seconds. Once she was down below, Van got up off the floor and sat down on the pile of ropes next to Hitomi. "I see you two are back on speaking terms again." He smiled.

"Mmm hmm, I told you Merle and I get along. It, it just gets a little difficult sometimes." The teen replied.

"Difficult?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Come now Your Majesty. Don't play coy. You know you have two women in love with you. Seeing us about to kiss was just more than Merle could handle at this time, that's all. But we talked it out and everything's okay now." She smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that." He leaned toward her. 

"What are you doing?" She asked as she leaned away from him.

Looking a little shocked by her reaction, he replied. "I thought we'd pick up where we left off yesterday."

"Don't be so presumptuous. That moment was special, and is now past. Besides, I promised Merle not to kiss you in public or when she was around." She clarified.

Van looked up and down the ship. "But we are alone and Merle's not here right now."

"But she'll be back any second. I don't want a repeat of earlier, do you?" She caressed his cheek with the back of her fingers for a moment before placing her hand on his shoulder and gently pushing him back to a proper sitting position. 

Catching a glimpse of Merle coming through the door leading to the lower decks. "No, I suppose not." He said, as he went back to eating his food.

Having seen him look over her shoulder, the teen turned her head about to see the catgirl bounding her way back to them. _'Good going Hitomi, you finally did something right on this trip.' _She smiled to herself and went back to her meal.

Merle was about to sit where Van had been on the floor earlier but the king quickly got up. "Merle, sit here." He gestured to where she was sitting before.

"That's okay Lord Van, I don't mind sitting on the floor." She assured him.

"Really, that's alright. I'm done with my meal. I need to go talk to the captain about getting his men to bathe. I can't stand another day of this." He began to walk away.

"But Lord Van, you've only eaten half your food." She informed him.

Looking at his plate, he acknowledged. "You're right. Would you like it?" He held his plate toward her.

"Sure!" Merle immediately started scooping his plate's contents onto hers. 

"Would you like some Hitomi?" Van asked.

"No, I've got plenty." She smiled.

Once Merle was done he excused himself and walked back below deck.

The catgirl quickly sat back down on the ropes and devoured her food.

Shaking her head in amazement, the girl from the Mystic Moon asked, "Where on earth do you put all that?"

Looking up from her plate the catgirl considered the question for a second then replied. "We're not on earth." Then she went back to eating.

Shaking her head once more, Hitomi followed suit, eating the rest of her meal.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, this was supposed to be a very short chapter but dialogue takes time and space. ^_^ Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out and sorry for future delays but I have an OLS story I will be posting on FF.net very soon as well as an Eva story. So my writing time will be cut into thirds. But its either this or I never get any stories out. Again, thanks for the reviews. It's great to know people are reading and enjoying my work. Just to let everyone know, critical comments are always welcome too. I hope to have a couple more chapters posted by the end of the week. 

Thanks for all your comments and support. ^_^

A. Amishi

PS: Only 38 more days till ACEN'03! ^_^


	14. Arriving at Palas

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 14

Aboard the Lady Vari, just outside the Port of Palas in Asturia

---

Van, Hitomi and Merle stood on the quarterdeck along with the ship's captain and Sir Charson, the minister of trade. As the captain barked out commands to his crew in preparation for docking at the Port of Palas, it became apparent that there was far more ships here then were the last time she was in Palas. 

Hitomi leaned over to Van and asked. "Why are there so many ships here?"

"For the coronation." Van answered.

"Coronation?" She asked.

"Yes, the Princess Millerna is being coronated next week. She will be Queen Millerna, ruler of all of Asturia." Answered Sir Charson.

"So this wasn't just a trade journey?" She added.

"No, actually, half of all what's stored in our holds are gifts for the soon-to-be queen." Van replied.

"Three ships worth of gifts? My goodness." Hitomi grew wide-eyed just thinking about it.

As the ship approached the dock and the people on the docks came into clear view Van suggested. "Hitomi, why don't you go below and put your things in order. We'll be docking soon, I'll send Merle to get you when we're ready to disembark." 

She gave him a curious look. _'He's hiding something from me, but what? Well, what ever it is he seems to want to keep it a surprise so I guess I can play along.'_ Finally replying, "Okay, I'll be down below then." 

And she walked off the quarterdeck and down to the living quarters where her belongings were. Because of the nature of the sea voyage, she took to wearing an outfit very similar to her school uniform but in anticipation for what ever surprise Van had in store for her, she changed into her blue dress and matching blue pumps after freshening up. She applied a small amount of lip-gloss and sprayed some green apple scented body mist over her body. Then she carefully sat down on her bunk and waited to be summoned.

As the ship docked and was made secure, King Van, Sir Charson and Merle disembarked and made there way to the official party sent to greet them. 

As they approached, Princess Millerna's personal advisor and captain of her guard bowed down onto one knee. "Your Majesty, it is an honor to have King of Fanelia on Asturian soil." 

"Rise Sir Knight, save such greetings for nobles with whom you are not on a first name basis with." Van replied.

With that Allen Schezar, rose and embraced his friend and comrade. "It's good to see you again Lord Van."

"And you Allen. Seven months has been too long." Van replied. "How is your sister?" 

"Celena is doing well. She's become a frequent visitor of Her Majesty of late. Personally, I think its all an elaborate ploy on her part in hopes for an appointment to the Queen's court, but only time will tell." He joked. 

Taking a moment to enjoy a laugh with is friend, Van stopped long enough to reintroduce his Minister of Trade and Merle.

"Well, if you are ready, we have a coach ready to take you to the palace." Allen started to say.

"Actually, there is one other person in our party that still hasn't disembarked." Turning to his childhood friend, Van asked. "Merle, can you go retrieve our guest?" 

"Of course Lord Van." She replied enthusiastically and she was bounding back towards the ship in an instant. 

"What surprise are you hiding Van?" The young knight gave a knowing grin. 

"You'll just have to wait and see." Van smiled coyly.

As they approached Merle intentionally bounced about to block Allen's view of their special guest as best as possible. But as they came close, it became quite obvious who the guest was. Finally, Merle stepped aside and Van took Hitomi's hand, smiling broadly as he took note that she was wise enough to change into something much more eye catching than what she was wearing earlier. 

"Allen Schezar, allow me to present the Lady Hitomi Kanzaki from the Mystic Moon." Van announced.

Allen stared wide-eyed for a moment before quickly recovering and bowing down on one knee. "Ma'Lady, it is an honor to welcome you to Asturia once again. We are at your disposal upon your request."

Hitomi curtseyed, saying. "The honor is all my Sir Allen Schezar." 

Rising up, Allen took Hitomi's hand and bowed once more, kissing it ever so softly. "You're even more beautiful than I remember you being." 

"Thank you Allen." Hitomi smiled, her eyes sparkling.

After a moment like this, Van had had enough. "Okay, okay, lets head over to the palace." He said to his parting, escorting Hitomi past Allen and onto the coach. Turning to Allen he shot him a crocked grin, "You old smoothie." He added as he followed Merle into the coach followed by Sir Charson.

Allen secured the door shut and mounted his stallion. "Too the palace!" He commanded to the escort as they proceeded down the main road.


	15. Before the Princess

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 15

At the Asturian Palace in Palas

---

Allen Schezar escorted King Van Fanel and his party through the palace, while his first lieutenant directed the King's attendants to their rooms so they could deposit the King's belongings along with the belongings of the rest of his party.

Seeing the lieutenant and his attendants go down a different hallway, Van asked. "Are we not going to our quarters?"

"In a moment Your Majesty, but though the Princess is quite busy at the moment I'm sure she would never forgive me if I failed to make your arrival known at once." Allen replied.

They continued down the hall in silence.

Coming to a set to large double doors Allen knocked firmly and waited for a response. A servant opened the door part way and looked at Allen.

"Inform Her Majesty, the Princess, that King Van Fanel of Fanelia and his party have arrived along with a very special guest." Allen instructed.

The servant nodded and closed the door.

---

"Your Majesty," the servant interrupted the princess' meeting. "Sir Allen Schezar has arrived with King Van Fanel of Fanelia and his party, along with a very special guest." The servant announced.

__

'A very special guest?' The princess' eyes lit up. _'No, it can't be. But maybe…' _Quickly addressing her aids. "Ladies, gentlemen, I propose we continue this discussion at this same time tomorrow. Now if you will excuse me." She gestured towards the door to her left and all her advisers exited quietly as another servant closed the door behind them.

"Well, don't keep them waiting. Let them in." She commanded with a smile as she made her way toward the door.

Entering first Allen said, "Princess Millerna, allow me to present the King of Fanelia, Van Fanel."

Van walked up to Millerna and bowed down onto one knee as Allen had done for him earlier. "Your Majesty, it is an honor and a privilege to be welcomed in your presents." He said with he head bowed low.

Millerna in turn curtseyed so low her head was just inches from the floor. "The honor and privilege is all Ours, Your Highness." 

As they rose Van took Millerna's hands into his and caressed them affectionately. "It is so good to see you again princess. Princess, I won't be calling you that much longer, will I." He teased.

"No, I suppose not. I'm so glad you were able to make it for my coronation. I look forward to the demonstration of master swordsmanship between you and Allen. It should be the highlight of the celebration." She smiled.

"I hope I will not disappoint." Van smiled back, then turned to introduce his party. "Princess Millerna, may I introduce my Minister of Trade, Sir Charson." 

The minister stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, it is an honor to see you once again."

"Minister." The princess bowed politely.

"And I believe the Princess will remember my companion Merle." The king went on.

"Your Majesty." Merle curtseyed, holding out her dress at the sides.

"It is good to see you once again Merle." The princess nodded her head. "And who is this special guest I heard mentioned?" She smiled knowingly.

Allen stepped forward then turned to the side.

"Your Majesty, presenting the Lady Hitomi Kanzaki from the Mystic Moon." Van declared.

Stepping forward, Hitomi duplicated the princesses curtseyed perfectly. "Your Majesty, congratulation on your eminent coronation." She said, holding her position.

Millerna stepped forward and bent down touching Hitomi's shoulders, she helped the girl stand up and embraced her warmly. "Its so good to see you again Hitomi. I've missed you so."

The teen returned the embrace and smiled happily. "I've missed you as well Millerna." She whispered.

After about a minute the princess stepped out of the embrace. Turning to all her guests and wiping way away some unshed tears, she addressed them, "Unfortunately, I will be unable to join you this evening, but please dine with me tomorrow." 

"It would be an honor Princess." Van answered for everyone.

Bowing politely, Van and his party exited the conference chamber and followed Allen to their quarters.

Princess Millerna exited the chamber through the other door and proceeded to her study. _'Hitomi. I can't believe your back. It's so good to see you again. I wonder how long you'll be with us this time?' _She smiled to herself as she entered her study. "Gentlemen." She said as she closed the door behind her.

~~~~~~~~~

AN: Lots of bowing and curtseying going on, I know. While we didn't see a whole lot of this going on during the series, I get the idea that during times of peace and between friends such overt displays of respect might occur. Kind of like a mutual admiration society. ^_^ I'm not especially good at describing action sequences so when it comes time for the swordsmanship demonstration between Allen and Van, you may need to use quite a bit of imagination. :P 

I really want to thank everyone whose commented and reviewed my story. It really warms my heart knowing people are reading and enjoying my work. Thank you, thank you, thank you. ^________^

A. Amishi


	16. Preparing for the Coronation

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 16

At the Asturian Palace in Palas, in Hitomi's chambers

---

Hitomi looked at herself in the mirror one more time and smiled. The dress King Van had ordered made for her more then six weeks ago, specifically for the coronation, fit perfectly. It was a pale blue dress with puffy sleeves that ended at the shoulders and a wide scooped neckline that revealed a little too much skin for the teen's taste, but the handmaidens who were assisting her assured her she looked fine in it. The upper body portion of the dress was extremely form fitting but not uncomfortable and the skirt portion was full and went all the way to the ground. She wore a navy blue velvet choker with a deep green oblong jade stone set in the center and matching jade earrings. The only things in the whole outfit that she chose not to wear were the shoes. She tried them on for a minute but after almost falling over she chose to wear her own blue pumps. They were a few shades darker than the dress but since the dress came all the way to the floor, she reasoned there was little chance anyone would ever see them. With as short as her hair was, there really wasn't much they could do with it, but they did give her a small jade comb to hold her hair back on one side. This provided the final touch. 

"Is Ma'Lady happy with the results?" Asked the young handmaiden. 

"Very happy." She turned to the three girls, "Thank you very much."

"Oh, Ma'Lady, there is one final accessory we must add." The youngest of the three said as she pulled out a pair of pale blue satin gloves. 

"Oh my." The teen eyed them for a moment then said. "Well, wouldn't want to leave the outfit incomplete." She smiled and extended her arms forward so the girls could pull the gloves on her. They came about three inches past her elbow and fit perfectly, giving just enough for that nice snug fit without being overly tight.

"Now Ma'Lady is ready." The three smiled.

Just then loud yelling could be heard next door.

"Merle. What's wrong now?" Hitomi said to herself as she headed for the door.

"Ma'am, shouldn't you wait here for His Majesty?" The oldest of the three asked with concern on her face.

"I'm just going to check on my friend, I'll be right back." The teen explained as she walked out the door, leaving it wide open.

Not bothering to knock, she walked into Merle's chambers to see the young catgirl struggling with the servant who was trying to get the girl's dress on her.

"Stop, that hurts!" The catgirl yelled.

"How can putting on a dress hurt?" The much older woman asked without a hint of patience in her voice.

"Because you're pulling on my tail again!" Merle screamed, pushing the dress down.

"Is there a problem here?" Hitomi asked innocently.

"Hitomi!" The catgirl jumped out of the dress and sprang over to the teen, hiding behind her. "This evil witch is trying to torture me." She exclaimed.

"I am just trying to help her get ready for the coronation but the little minx won't stand still." The woman explained in an exasperated tone.

"Well, why don't you leave it to me? I'll help her get ready. Okay?" Hitomi said with a smile.

"Fine." The woman dropped the dress and walked out, turning to Hitomi as she passed by, "Good luck."

To this Merle scowled and stuck her tongue out at the woman. Once she was gone, the teen turned to her friend and gave her a crooked grin. "Oh Merle."

"It's not my fault, really. She wouldn't even let me wash up first." She leaned forward.

Hitomi took a whiff and immediately pulled away, holding her nose.

"See." The catgirl responded.

"Just wait one second. I'll be back with my handmaidens." Hitomi walked out of the room and back to her own.

"Great. More grumpy old women to boss me around." Merle huffed and stomped over to her bed.

A moment later Hitomi returned with the three young girls, the oldest barely Merle's age.

Merle's eyes went wide. "These are your handmaidens? No fair, how come you get these kids and I got that old hag?" 

Hitomi just shrugged while the three maidens immediately got to work. One picked up the dress from the floor and straightened it out, placing it back on the bed. The second gathered up the other parts of the outfit along with the accessories and laid them out as well. The third got the washbasin and quickly headed off to the kitchen to get some warm water for Merle to bath with.

Thirty minutes later, the three handmaidens had Merle freshly bathed and were putting the finishing touches on her outfit. The dress was similar to Hitomi's except it was red and white and had a V-neckline that was covered in lace that buttoned up to a choker in the back. About the only problem that was painfully obvious to everyone was the way her tail pushed out he back of the dress. 

Staring at the odd-looking bulge the teen asked. "So what can we do about it?"

The eldest maid suggested, "Well, we could cut a hole in the dress and allow it to stick out." 

To this Merle gave an enthusiastic nod. The others thought for a moment then shook their heads and said "NO," in unison.

"Can't you wrap your tail around your waist Merle?" Hitomi suggested.

"It's a tail, not a rope. Can you wrap your leg around your neck?" The catgirl snapped back sarcastically.

"It was just a suggestion. Sheesh" 

Finally the youngest of the three snapped her finger and smiled as she quickly pulled a ribbon from her hair and knelt down behind the catgirl. Lifting her dress from behind, the maiden ducked under it, working quickly.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing down there?" The young feline asked, arching he back but remaining at her current position.

Coming out from under the dress the maiden asked. "How is that? Does it hurt at all? Is it very uncomfortable?"

Merle tilted her head one way then the other. She shook her backside to get the feel of it. "Feels a little weird." She walked around the room, "It pulls when I walk."

"Take shorter steps." Hitomi suggested.

Nodding, she complied and after minute said, "You're right, that's better."

"Try sitting down." Suggested the youngest handmaiden.

Doing as she suggested, the feline instantly shot back up to a standing position. "That hurt. I'm sitting right on it."

"Hmm, let me try something." The young girl walked up to her and ducked under the dress once again.

Coming out a moment later. She suggested once again, "Try sitting now."

Merle complied without difficulty this time. "That's better. It pulls a little but it doesn't hurt." She stood back up and walked slowly back to the mirror. "How does it look now?" She asked as she tried to get a good look at her backside.

"Much better." Hitomi replied.

"Hardly noticeable at all." Replied the eldest servant.

"Quite natural." The second maid added.

"You look beautiful." The youngest commented.

"Do you really think so?" Merle smiled at her reflection.

"Absolutely." A firm yet kind male voice declared.

All eyes turned to see King Van Fanel standing at the doorway dressed in his courtly armor and cap.

"Lord Van!" Merle lit up. 

"Van, you look so handsome." Hitomi blushed. _'Did I just say that out loud?' _

"Your Majesty" The three handmaidens said in unison as they bowed respectfully and quietly made their way out of the room.

"Do you really think I look beautiful Lord Van?" The feline asked, craving her king's attention.

"Absolutely," Van repeated as he walked into the room. "In fact, I don't remember when you've looked more beautiful then you do right now." He smiled.

The happy feline wrapped her arms around her waist and gave him a broad smile. "Thank you Lord Van." She giggled.

His smile grew seeing it had the desired affect on his longtime friend. Then turning to look at the object of his true affections, the silly smile melted away as a tender, loving look filled his expression. "You are simply breathtaking Hitomi."

Blushing slightly, the teen bowed politely and offered him an affectionate smile. "Thank you Van." 

To this Merle's smile seemed to fade away but just for a moment, then she asked. "Is it time to head over to the cathedral?"

Keeping his attention on the girl from the Mystic Moon, he replied. "Yes it is. That is why I am here, to escort my two best girls." He smiled at Hitomi, then over to Merle.

Merle giggled once again.

Extended his right hand to Hitomi, palm side down, he added. "Shall we go?"

Hitomi walked up to him and placed her hand gently on top of his.

He started turning towards the door to leave but Hitomi held him fast. Looking over at her with a questioning gaze, she gestured toward Merle with her eyes. Quickly realizing his oversight, the king extended his left hand in her direction. "Shall we Merle?"

Forced to walk slowly, Merle took her position at the kings left side and placed her hand on top of his just as Hitomi had, and smiled up at him.

With that they headed out the large double doors and down the hall.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Expecting the dinner weren't you? ^_^ I thought of writing about it but the more I thought about it the more boring it seemed. Why was Hitomi given three young girls as handmaidens and Merle a much older woman? I was going to explain it in the story but this chapter is already too long and I didn't want to make it any longer. Basically, my thinking was, Millerna's palace aid assigned three young aids to Hitomi to ensure the young teen received the respect she deserved being a member of King Van's party. An older maids may have treated her like a child. Though these three are very young, they were well versed in palace etiquette. The reason Merle was given the older servant was because the palace aid thought of the catgirl as a juvenile needed as much adult help as possible. 

By the way, it was mentioned in a review that the line, "you old smoothie" sounded awfully familiar. Okay, now just because I saw The Empire Strikes Back over 20 times doesn't mean that line is burned into my memory. Really. TeHeHeHe. Okay, so maybe is it, but … Oh, I have no excuse. ^_^

Again, thanks for all the wonderful reviews. Hitomi-chan, thanks for all the comments. ^_^

A. Amishi

PS: Only 34 more days till ACEN'03!!! ^______^


	17. The Coronation

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 17

At Palas, the capital of Asturia, in the cathedral of the god of the sea, Jichia

---

The cathedral was filled beyond capacity. Nobles and royalty from all across Gaea crowded into the enormous structure. All of the dignitaries from Asturia as well as the rulers of the important kingdoms throughout Gaea filled the first row. At a very prominent location in the first row sat King Van Fanel and his two young companions. His Minister of Trade and other officials from Fanelia sat five rows back. As the cathedral continued to fill, minor murmuring could be heard. Other rulers wondered why the king to such a minor kingdom as Fanelia should be granted such an honored position. Others speculated at the reason for the high honor may have to do with the soon-to-be queen's affection for the young king. 

Hearing such talk got Hitomi to wondering. _'Van and Millerna, could it be? Politically, it would be a big plus for Fanelia… but, no, no they're just friends. That's all. … But the way they greeted each other three days ago.'_ The teen remembered how they showed such admiration for each other and when they held hands, the look in each of their eyes. _'Could they have falling in love while I was away? Does Van love Millerna? No, he wouldn't lead me on like this. … Would he?'_ Looking over at the object of her affections, she couldn't help but show the sadness and doubt that lay in her heart. 

Sensing a pair of eyes on him, Van turned to look at her. "What's wrong Hitomi?" Concern expressed on his face.

"Au, nothing." She turned away quickly. "It's nothing." She repeated as she placed her hands on her lap.

Taking a moment to listen to the conversations that were going on around them, it quickly became apparent to the king that her statement was not true. Placing his hand over hers, he leaned over and whispered into her ear. "They're just rumors from gossiping fools. That's all, nothing more. Pay them no mind." 

She looked back into his eyes and saw no hint of deception in his expression. Smiling meekly, she nodded and turned her hand over so she could clasp his. Van returned her smile but his eyes went wide a moment later when he felt a strong tug on his other arm. Turning, he saw Merle clinging to his arm, rubbing her cheek against it. Reaching up with his hand, he placed it over hers and pulled her hand way from his arm but continued to hold onto it. Looking up at him with a questioning stare, he simply smiled back at his childhood companion and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Smiling back at him, she straightened up and placed her other hand over his. 

**********

An hour later the coronation ceremony began. As the music began to play everyone stood and turned to the back of the cathedral. Entering on queue were the twelve Knights of Heaven, Allen Schezar at the head, entered and proceeded down the aisle to the front of the cathedral, then entered Princess Eries dressed in her royal finery. As she approached the knights they drew their swords and raised them high. She passed in the midst of them and proceeded to the altar. There she bowed to the priests of Jichia and took her position to the right of center. A moment later Princess Millerna entered the cathedral dressed in a courtly gown more elaborate than the dress she wore for her wedding. As she approached the Knights of Heaven, they tilted their swords forward so each knight's sword touched the sword of the knight they faced. Under this archway the princess passed. Reaching the altar, she knelt down then laid face down onto the altar, kissing the ground then slowly rising up to a kneeling position again. At this point the high priest stepped forward and commenced the ceremony. 

After three hours of reading from ancient texts and reciting the duties of a monarch, the high priest anointed Millerna with ceremonial oil and placed on her right index finger the royal ring, which contained the royal seal on it. The ring only the ruler of Asturia was allowed to wear. 

Then after reciting her vows to protect and serve her kingdom the high priest kissed her forehead with a holy kiss then placed upon her head the crown of Asturia, followed with the words. "Rise Queen Millerna, Queen of Asturia."

Upon rising, the priests all got down on their knees and bowed down to her, then she turned to the masses in attendance and everyone in the cathedral got down on their knees and bowed. Upon rising, the giant hall erupted with the cheer, "ALL HAIL MILLERNA, QUEEN OF ASTURIA!" 

Outside the cathedral in the immense courtyard, thousands of people broke out in cheers as a knight exited the building and declared in a loud voice, "Long Live the Queen of Asturia, Long Live Queen Millerna!"

Sheathing their swords, the Knights of Heaven turned to the back of the cathedral and once the queen was a step behind the last two knights, they preceded to march down the aisle to the exit. After the queen, her sister then the priests followed. 

At the entrance to the holy building the doors opened and the Knights came out, making a semi-circle around the entranceway to ensure the Queen's protection. At the appearance of the Queen the multitude erupted in cheers. 

At the front of the cathedral the visiting rulers and their guests were being escorted out a side exit. Hitomi turned to Van and said. "That was so beautiful." 

"That was so long." Replied Merle, as she rolled her eyes. "Gosh, King Van's coronation didn't take one-fifth as long as that did." 

"Well, different kingdoms have different traditions Merle. We need to be respectful to all of them and not fall asleep during them." Her king gave her a knowing smile. 

The catgirl just grinned as her face turned a bright red.

Once outside, they were lead to one of the many carriages that took them back to the palace for the start of the coronation celebration. 

Meanwhile, Queen Millerna entered her royal yacht and began a slow ride around her capital to allow her subjects a glimpse at their new queen. People lined the route to the palace as the queen's yacht and escort flotilla made its way there. 


	18. At the Palace

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 18

At the Royal Palace in Palas, the capital of Asturia

---

In the great hall, over 6,000 kings, rulers, nobles and other assorted honored guests mingled about enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres as they waited for the arrival of the Queen. 

Van and his minister of trade took the opportunity to speak with some of their neighboring rulers regarding his kingdom's new entry into the world trade market. Satisfied they had made some headway, he retrieved a glass of wine and began looking around to find Hitomi and Merle. Merle was carrying on a lively conversation with Prince Chid and Celena Schezar, but he saw no sign of Hitomi. 

Approaching the trio, Van greeted the boy ruler. "Prince Chid, it is an honor and a pleasure to see you again." Bowing respectfully.

The boy prince bowed back, "The honor is all my King Van." 

"King Van," the sister of the Knight of Heaven curtseyed humbly. "It is so good to see you again. I'm sorry we were unable to meet before now."

Bowing politely to the young teen, Van smiled. "As am I. But it is good to see you now. How has your training gone?"

"It is tedious at times but well worth it." She replied.

"Training?" Merle asked, grabbing hold of her king's arm.

"Celena is in training to be a lady of the court." The king explained.

"But I thought Allen said…" Merle started to say.

"I've managed to keep my training a secret from my brother so far. I wish to surprise him in two months when my training is complete and I've passed my test." She explained.

"Test?" Merle squeaked.

"A lady of the court of Asturia must demonstrate proper refinement and palace etiquette before she can truly be called a Lady." Celena explained further.

"Sounds like a big hassle for nothing to me." Merle teased, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Merle," Van said, causing the catgirl to straighten up and go wide-eyed instantly.

"Yes Lord Van?" She smiled nervously.

"Have you seen Hitomi? I can't seem to find her." He asked, looking around once more.

"Hitomi is here?" Chid asked enthusiastically.

"Yes, she arrived about two weeks ago." The young king informed the boy prince.

"No Lord Van, I haven't seen her in awhile." His young companion told him.

"Hitomi? That's the girl from the Mystic Moon, correct?" Allen's sister asked.

"Yes, she is." Van answered. "You did meet her before she left, didn't you?"

"Yes, but only once and very briefly. I was hoping to be able to see her again. I had no idea she would be here for Queen Millerna's coronation." The young teen smiled.

Suddenly, Van spotted the girl from the Mystic Moon as she walked toward them with a happy smile on her face. Van couldn't help but smile back. Following the direction of his gaze, Chid and Celena both turned and saw her approach as well.

"Prince Chid," She said enthusiastically, "It's so wonderful to see you again," as she bowed.

The boy prince reached out and took her hand. "Hitomi, I'm so glad you came back to Gaea. I've missed you so very much." The boy smiled then turned toward the other young teen, "You remember Allen Schezar's sister, don't you?" He gestured.

"Celena," Hitomi extended her hand in greeting. "How have you been? You look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you."

"I'm fine. You look absolutely wonderful." Taking Hitomi's hand delicately into hers. 

Merle rolled her eyes as the two teens continued to flatter each other then she spotted the object in Hitomi's hand. "Hey, Hitomi, what do you have there?" She asked.

"Oh?" The teen looked down at her left hand, at the disk-shaped object covered in a simple cloth and tied with a white ribbon. "This? It's just a little something I was planning on giving to Millerna."

"A gift?" Van asked. 

"Yeah, well everyone here has such extravagant gifts for her and I didn't bring anything but I thought… well, I thought she might like this." She looked down at the object then back up to the people around her. "Kind of silly, isn't it?" She began to blush.

"Not at all." I'm sure the Queen will appreciate receiving an item from the Mystic Moon as a gift." Van assured her. 

"I hope so." Hitomi grinned with a bit of trepidation in her voice.

"But the gift presentation will not take place till later this evening." The king informed her, extended his hand to take the item from her. "Here, let me give this to one of the servants and they will give it to you when it is time for you to present it to her."

"Oh, Okay." Hitomi handed the item over to him. He quickly turned and got the attention of a servant who was serving cocktails. He explained the situation to the man who nodded his understanding and took the object, securing it under his coat. 

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: So very sorry for taking so long to post this next chapter. Didn't exactly have writer's block but rather I've been conflicted over how much detail I wanted to go into these next three chapters. Also, I'm working on my Eva/Dual story and my OLS story that I've started posting. But that is just an excuse. I hope to get a couple more chapters posted before the weekend is out. My birthday is on Easter so hopefully I get to do what I like and spend at least part of the day writing Sunday. ^_^ 

Again, thank you so much for all the wonderful feedback, I really appreciate everyone taking the time to review my work. It really means a lot to me. Thanks again.

A. Amishi

PS: Only 27 more days till ACEN'03!!! ^_^


	19. Gifts for the Queen

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 19

At the Royal Palace in Palas, the capital of Asturia

---

After Queen Millerna's arrival, the rulers and representatives of each kingdom in Gaea, except the Zaibach Empire, formed a line and greeted the new Queen formally. Afterward, everyone was ushered into the large dinning hall. Hitomi was amazed at the efficiency with which the palace staff served everyone, insuring that everyone had their fill of food and drink. After dinner and many toasts to the new Queen, everyone was ushered back into the great hall for music and entertainment. Various folk dancers from the different regions of Asturia entertained all with their traditional dance and costumes. 

As the entertainment continued, all those that brought gifts for the Queen were instructed to send a representative to retrieve the items and to assemble in a line to make the presentation as orderly as possible. Shortly there after, the entertainment came to an end and one of the Queen's ministers read off a list the names of those presenting gifts. As a name and title was read, that individual would approach the Queen and bow respectfully then gesture to the entranceway for their gift to be brought in, if it could, if not, they would simply hand a scroll to one of the Knights and explain the nature of the gift. 

Gifts ranged from hundreds of head of cattle, to fine works of art: paintings, sculptures and tapestries, treasures of gold and silver, and even energists. Hitomi stood next to Van as he waited his turn. Seeing the different gifts being presented she clutched her simple gift close to her chest and sighed. _'This was silly of my. This is nothing compared to any of the other gifts she is receiving. I'll be lucky if I'm not laughed out of here. I should just leave now and head back to my room.' _She stared at the nearest exit, the one she used earlier to go to her room and get the gift. 

Slowly she started to take a step in that direction when a voice said, "Going somewhere?"

She turned to see Van looking at her with a pleasant smile on his face. Seeing him like this, she couldn't help but feel foolish for wanting to leave. "I…just…" she turned away.

"Don't worry Hitomi. What ever you give her, I'm sure Millerna will love it. The fact that it came from you will be reason enough for her to love it, regardless of what it is." He reassured her.

"Okay." She smiled back.

Just then the minister announced, "King Van Fanel of Fanelia."

He gave the teen a wink and approached the throne to present his gift.

"Your Majesty, in honor of this joyous occasion Fanelia offers that which she is most famous for." He gestured to his attendant at the back of the wall who came into the wall wheeling a small tree in a wheel-barrel. Murmuring and some soft laughter could be heard but the king remained as confident as ever.

With the tree next to him, he proceeded to explain. "Fanelia is known for its many lush forests and towering trees. None more majestic than the Fanelus tree, the tree from which our kingdom derives its name. In no other kingdom in Gaea grows a taller, stronger, more beautiful tree. In addition, the timbers of the Fanelus are known world round as the sturdiest, most durable in the land. In fact, after the Zaibach attack, when the debris of the capital was cleared, many large Fanelus timbers remained undamaged and intact. What we offer you on this glorious day is a part of Fanelia. This tree is only one of one hundred saplings we bring to you. Each ready to be planted and in time will grow large and strong, and will multiply. Let this strong tree represent the strong bond between our two kingdoms Queen Millerna." With that he bowed down on one knee to the approving applause of all in attendance. Slowly the king rose.

Millerna rose from her throne, "King Van would you please approach us."

When the king stopped three feet from the queen, she extended her hand to him which he took, bowed once more and kissed it. Upon rising, the queen curtseyed pressing his hand to her forehead. When she rose, she said. "Thank you King Van Fanel of Fanelia. Your gift brings great joy to my heart. Forever shall our two kingdoms so be bound in friendship." She then stepped forward and kissed him on each cheek. With all of the larger kingdoms having presented their gifts already, and none of them receiving this type of reception from the Queen, murmuring started once again. Murmuring that only served to make an already nervous teenage girl from the Mystic Moon, that much more ill at ease.

Expecting to go after Van, Hitomi was somewhat surprised to hear someone else's name called next. Then another, and another, before long, it became apparent to her that she was most likely going to be the last person to present the Queen with a gift.

As time passed, she grew tenser as beautiful and elaborate gifts were presented to Her Majesty. Finally after what felt like an eternity, the minister called out, "Lady Hitomi Kanzaki from … the Mystic Moon."

The murmuring increased instantly as she walked toward Millerna's throne, clutching her simple gift to her chest. Stopping at the series of steps that lead up to the throne, as everyone else did, she curtseyed and began to speak with a trembling voice. 

"Your Majesty, while I have no great riches or works of art to present to you. I do have this simple gift that I hope Your Majesty will enjoy." 

She walked up the steps to the throne and extended her hands out to hand it to Millerna. "For you, Your Majesty." She took a few steps back after handing it to her and knelt down on the floor.

"Thank you Hitomi." Millerna smiled. Slowly she undid the ribbon and unfolded the cloth to reveal a round black case with a shoulder strap. She stared at it for a moment, not sure what it was or what to say.

"That's just the carrying case. The actual item is inside." Hitomi explained.

Nodded her understanding, Millerna undid the zipper exposing Hitomi's CD player and headphones. Again, the Queen looked at her with questioning eyes.

This time Hitomi stood up and walked over to her. "It's a CD player. It plays music." She reached down and pulled out the headphones. Placing one in Millerna's right ear then the other in her left. "You hear the music through the headphones and…" She pressed the button to open up the player revealing the disk inside. "You place the disk in here and close it. Then you press the start button and … " She took a step back and waited.

A moment later, Millerna's eyes grew wide as her head was filled with orchestral music. "Where is that coming from?" She asked.

"From the CD player Your Majesty." Hitomi explained.

The Queen reached up and pulled out one of the headphones from her ear, causing the music to stop on that side. Carefully, she placed it back in and the music continued. Smiling broadly, she looked up at Hitomi. "What a wonderful devise. With a device like this We can listen to music whenever We wish." 

"Yes Your Majesty. That is exactly right." Hitomi smiled and bowed.

"Thank you Hitomi. Of all the gifts We have received this day, we cannot think of any other gift We will gain more pleasure from and use more often." She rose once again and embraced her friend. 

"Your welcome, Your Majesty." She bowed her head once again before walking off to the side as the other had.

The gift presentation over, the music started up again as the attendees mingled and danced. 

Finding Hitomi standing by herself Van walked up to her and said. "See, I told you. You had nothing to worry about." 

"I guess you were right." She smiled. 

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Again, I'd like to apologize for taking so long to update. And to thank you for your patience. What I was trying to convey in this chapter was the importance of this event and how it contrasts with Van's coronation in the series. Fanelia, being a small, minor kingdom had no foreign dignitaries present but Asturia is a large and important kingdom. Once, many if not all other kingdoms in Gaea would like to keep in their favor. Also, since I mentioned Van's gift to Millerna in an earlier chapter, I wanted to make sure I mentioned what it was. Hope you liked it. ^_^

Coming up soon will be a tournament of swordsmanship which will also be a tribute to Utena. You'll see. As for Merle's brush with death. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about that. It's still a few chapters away.

Again, thank you for all the wonderful words of encouragement, they really mean a lot to me. ^_^

A. Amishi

PS: Just 27 more days till ACEN'03!!! ^_^


	20. The Root Top Encounter

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 20

At the Royal Palace in Palas, the capital of Asturia

---

Van walked out onto the roof of the palace overlooking the great city. The last time he was up here he and Allen Schezar tested their blades against each other. They would do it once again in two days at the end of the tournament. The last time they crossed swords was in their Guymelefs. Van won that battle, though he knew Allen had been distracted by the sudden appearance of his sister. _'This time there won't be any excuses, for either of us.'_

"Up here once again."

Turning suddenly to see who was addressing him, he smiled.

"If memory serves, the last time I saw you here you were training with Allen. I believe he bested you that day." She smiled.

"We'll see who bests who in two days Your Majesty." He smiled.

"Oh Van, we're alone now, it's just Millerna." She approached him. "Beautiful isn't it?" She looked out over her capital. "As a child I would look out over this city and think how beautiful it was but I never thought of what it meant to me, to my family, to our position. Now I can't stop thinking of it. How do you do it Van?" She turned to him.

"Do what?" He replied.

"Carry the burden of ruling a kingdom at such a young age. I'm only a few months older than you and I don't know how you do it." 

"You have a much heavier burden than I. Asturia is far more prominent than Fanelia."

"But a kingdom is a kingdom. We still have the same responsibility to our people. How do you do it Van?" She asked, looking up at him with sadness in her eyes.

Van smiled and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry Millerna. You will make a great queen, I'm certain of it."

"How can you say that?" She questioned.

"Because, I saw a spoiled little girl turn into a courageous young woman in less then a year. I've seen you go from someone who was obsessed with her own happiness to someone whose concern is for those she has sworn to protect and serve." Van smiled again and gently caressed her cheek. "You're up to the challenge Millerna, just believe in yourself and trust your instincts, and you'll do fine. You'll see."

"Thank you Van." She embraced him, resting her head against his chest. "I needed to hear that from someone outside of Asturia. Thank you."

At that very moment Van heard a faint sound that sounded like a gasp. 

The unseen visitor slapped her hands over her mouth and made a hasty retreat off the root top.

Van scanned the area for any unwelcome guests, one hand on his sword, the other still holding Millerna.

"What's wrong?" She asked looking up at him.

"I'm not certain, but I think we're being watched." He answered, his eyes still searching the root for signs of movement.

"Oh, when will those gossip mongers learn that a man and a woman can be just friends." She said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Perhaps we should retire for the night. The tournament does start early tomorrow. It's best if we call it a night."

"Yes, of course." She agreed as she turned to head toward the stairway. Van accompanied her, holding her hand respectfully.

In her chamber's, Hitomi slept peacefully. The excitement of the day took its toll on the young woman and as she quickly drifted off to sleep a gentle smile crossed her face. But her sleep was interrupted but the quiet sobs of her young friend sitting at the foot of her bed.

Slowly sitting up and allowing her eyes to focus in the dark, she called out. "Merle? What's wrong?"

"Oh Hitomi. I… I, don't know… I don't know how to tell you… Oh Hitomi!" Merle cried burying her face in her hands.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Not one for cliffhangers, but I just couldn't help it. Sorry. ^_~

I think a word on the relationship being revealed between Van and Millerna is in order. In the show, there really isn't much of a relationship at all. She seems to respect him and he, well, seems to treat her respectfully enough but doesn't really show any particular types of feelings toward her in any way. Not to be surprised, he was preoccupied with a war and vengeance. But it's my feeling that after the war is over; they would take the time to see each other in a new light. Especially Van, who would undoubtedly have turned to Asturia as the first kingdom he would want to establish trade relations with. So the comment about seeing her as a spoiled brat would come from her behavior when they first met when he arrived at Palas with Allen on the Crusade. I see this view changing gradually throughout but it really starts to change after the departure of Dryden. I see Millerna's opinion of Van changing from one of respect to one of genuine admiration as she sees him rebuild is kingdom from the ashes of war. I hope you share this view and if not I hope this helps explain my view and helps make it more plausible.

Well, the tournament is coming up and we should be in for some excitement. Writing action scenes are not my strenght (at least I don't think so) but I will do my very best. 

Thank you all once again for your wonderfully supportive comments, they truly warm my heart. And to Merlegirl, be at ease. Do you really think Hitomi would let her friend die without a fight? ^_^

A. Amishi

PS: Just 26 more days till ACEN'03!!! ^_^


	21. Don't Mock Me!

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 21

At the Royal Palace in Palas, the capital of Asturia

---

Hitomi sat quietly in her seat in the section of the stadium reserved for foreign dignitaries, along with Merle and Sir Charson. She yawned and rubbed her bloodshot eyes.

"Are you alright Lady Hitomi?" The minister asked.

"Hmm?" She looked over to him with eyes filled with sadness.

"Did you not sleep well last night?" He asked

"No." She turned away. "No I didn't."

__

'Last night, last night was the worst night of my life. It was like a bad dream, no a nightmare. A nightmare I couldn't wake myself up from.'

~~~

****

"No! It's not true! You're lying!" Hitomi screamed.

"I wish it were a lie. But it's not. … I'm sorry Hitomi, I'm sorry." Merle buried her face in the mattress and cried.

"But he told me, he told me nothing was going on between them. He said it was all just a rumor. Why would he lie to me? He wouldn't. Van wouldn't lie to me, do you hear me. He wouldn't." She began to weep, "he wouldn't, he wouldn't…he wouldn't" She repeated over and over as she hugged her knees close to her chest.

"Oh Hitomi." Merle crawled over to her and tried to pull her friend into a comforting embrace but Hitomi pushed her away.

"No, you're lying! You're jealous of Van and me! You want Van all to yourself! That's why you've made up this lie! I hate you Merle! I hate you!" With that, the fifteen year-old girl threw herself face down on the bed and cried unchecked.

As her eyes welled up in tears again, the young catgirl hung her head remorsefully. "I'm sorry Hitomi, I'm so sorry." With that she ran out of her friend's room and into her own where she spent the night doing the same thing her friend was doing. Neither one got a wink of sleep that night.

~~~

Merle sat next to Hitomi with her hands folded on her lap. She stared down at the floor in front of her feet lost in grief. 

The girl from the Mystic Moon looked over at the little catgirl and despite the sense of anger she felt toward the younger girl; she couldn't help but have her heart go out to her. Slowly, gently, she placed her hand atop her friend's. The young catgirl looked up at her with eyes filled with anguish and tears. Seeing the gentle look of forgiveness in her friend's face, the catgirl pressed her face against the friend's arm and wept silently. 

Hitomi engulfed her friend with her other arm and laid her cheek atop her head, whispering softly, "It's okay Merle. Everything will be okay."

"How?" She whispered back.

"I don't know, but maybe it just wasn't meant to be… for either of us." Hitomi answered sadly.

While still comforting her friend, the teen's gaze happened upon the Royal Box where Millerna and other members of the royal family would be seated during the tournament. Currently it was empty but the curtain that concealed the area behind the seats was just slightly ajar and from the angle she was sitting, she could make out Millerna standing a few feet behind the curtain, talking with someone. She seemed to be in good spirits with a smile on her face and laughing occasionally. 

__

'How could you Millerna? Wasn't it bad enough we were once rivals over Allen's affections, now shall we be rivals for Van's affections as well?' She thought mournfully.

Suddenly the person the Queen was speaking with stepped forward and came into view. "Van." She whispered.

"Where?" Merle asked looking up at her.

"Behind the curtain of the royal box." She told her.

The catgirl set her gaze in that direction and saw what her friend saw, the King of Fanelia and the Queen of Asturia engaged in a **very friendly** conversation. Or at least that was how it seemed to them.

"I can't take this anymore. I'm going back to the palace." Hitomi stood up and started heading for the exit.

"Lady Hitomi!" Sir Charson called out. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the palace." She answered.

"But Lord Van is expecting you to be here." He added.

"I think perhaps Lord Van expects too much." She replied then turned to leave as the minister gasped in shock.

"Wait Hitomi! I'll go with you." Merle got up and followed her friend.

The two girls walked down the wide corridor with their eyes downcast. Both were startled when they ran into the chest of a man walking in the opposite direction. 

"Hitomi, Merle, where are you headed? The tournament is just about to start." 

"Van" 

"Lord Van"

They both stared at him for a moment, his happy expression revealing no sense of guilt or shame over his clandestine encounter with the Queen of Asturia.

"I've got to go." Hitomi finally answered as she walked past him.

"Me too." Merle added as she followed suit.

"Go? Go where?" He turned to follow them.

"Back to the palace." The older girl replied.

"Did you forget something? Tell me what it is and I'll send one of my servants to retrieve it for you." The king informed her.

"No, I didn't forget anything. I just have to go." She said without stopping.

Losing patience quickly, Van reached out and grabbed the teen's arm to get her to stop. "Hitomi, will you talk to me. What's wrong?"

"Take your hands off me!" She yelled as she pulled her arm free but came to a stop nonetheless.

Gasping at her outburst, Van questioned. "What's come over you?"

Turning her gaze to the side she asked. "Tell me Van. Do you love her?"

Puzzlement crossed the king's face. "Love who? Hitomi, what are you talking about?"

Rage flared up in the young teen as she lashed out, the palm of her hand connecting to the side of the king's face. "Don't mock me!" She screamed then turned and ran away.

The king's eyes grew wide in shock as the girl's hand made contact with his face. Stunned to immobility, he simply stared after her as she ran toward the exit. 

"How could you Lord Van? How could you?" Merle yelled at him as she turned and ran after her friend.

Still in shock, his mind was a cloud of questions when suddenly he realized. "Merle, it was you on the roof top last night. Merle, what did you do?" Van took a step in their direction when a voice came from behind.

"Lord Van, the tournament is about to begin." Sir Charson called out. 

The king turned toward is minister. "I need to go to the palace for a moment, I'll be right back."

"Your Majesty, we are guests here in Asturia, how will it look if the King of Fanelia is not present during the opening ceremony to honor the Queen?"

Van paused for a moment as he considered his minister's words. "You're right. Let's go." He turned and walked with his minister back to their seats."

"If you wish My Lord, I can send someone to retrieve Lady Hitomi and Miss Merle." The minister added.

The king considered this for a moment then answered, "No, that won't be necessary. I think they just need a little time to calm down is all." _'At least I hope that is all they need.'_

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Breakaway Republic, you asked for angst, here's your angst; to everyone else, sorry. But not to worry, it won't last too long. At least I hope not. And I do intend to make the pay off worth it. Originally, I was planning on resolving this misunderstanding here in this chapter but this felt right. 

Again, thanks for your support and your well wishes on my birthday. I really appreciate it. ^_^

A. Amishi

PS: Just 24 more days till ACEN'03!!! ^_^


	22. Heart of a King in the Palm of Her Hand

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 22

At the Palace of the Queen of Asturia in Palas

---

Darkness began to fall upon the palace but in a small, secluded courtyard, lamps lit the area enough to simulate daylight. And in the courtyard the Queen's chef advisor and the King of Fanelia practiced.

"Remember Van, in this competition, speed and technique are more important than power." He said again as they crossed swords. "Strike the orchid, strong enough to sever the stem but not so strong that you mark your opponent in any way." And for the fifth time in fifteen minutes Allen sliced the flower off of Van's lapel. Stabbing his sword into the ground in frustration, Allen yelled, "You're not concentrating Van." 

The young king gave no defense. He simply turned away and sheathed his sword. "I'll be ready tomorrow." He assured the knight as he walked away toward the palace. 

From the shadows, the queen appeared and took the field.

"Something is deeply troubling him." Allen stated.

"Mmm," she nodded, "and I think I know what."

The knight gave his queen a questioning stare.

She looked over at him for a moment then said, "Did you notice that Hitomi and Merle were not at the tournament today?"

"No." A genuine expression of surprise etched his face.

"And they were not at dinner today either." She took a step in the direction Van had gone. "I suspect Merle saw Van and I on the roof yesterday and rushed to tell Hitomi having jumped to the wrong conclusion."

"And what conclusion would that be Your Majesty?" The knight asked in all seriousness.

"Don't you start with me." She turned and stared at her advisor. 

Allen allowed a faint smile to appear before grabbing his sword and wiping it clean then sheathing it. "What would Her Majesty like me to do?"

Millerna thought for a moment. "Find Hitomi and bring her to my chambers." 

"Is that wise? To interfere in the affairs of others." Allen asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

"What ever happened between them has Van so distracted that he is going to humiliate himself in front of nearly every kingdom in Gaea. As his friend, I cannot allow that to happen." 

The knight bowed. "I will deliver the Lady Hitomi to your chambers straight away." Then straightened and marched off the field. 

Standing in the field a minute longer, Millerna looked down and saw the remnants of five orchids strewn on the floor. She bent down and picked one up. Holding the delicate flower in her hand she shook her head and sighed. "Oh Hitomi you silly girl. You hold the heart of a king in the palm of your hands. Don't you know that?" Still holding the flower, the queen made her way to her chambers.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry this one is so short but I felt I needed a bridge between the last chapter and Millerna confronting Hitomi. I originally thought of this scene with Allen leaving in frustration over Van's poor performance then Millerna appearing and the two having a heart to heart but I really don't think Van is the type to spill his guts out to anyone, even a friend. Not in a show of weakness. This seemed to ring more true I thought. I hope you agree. 

Again, thank you all for your wonderful comments and words of support. They brighten my day. They really do. ^__^ 

I'm so glad I've been able to entertain you all. I'll do my very best to continue to do so.

A. Amishi

PS: Just 23 days till ACEN'03!!! ^_^


	23. A Queen's Confession

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 23

In Queen Millerna's chambers

---

A gentle knock at her door alerted the queen that Allen had completed his task.

"Enter." She commanded.

The door opened and the knight stepped in with the young teenage girl at his side. "Lady Hitomi, your Majesty, as you requested."

"Thank you Allen, that will be all." She said from her vanity without turning to face them as she continued brushing her hair.

"Yes your Majesty." Allen bowed and closed the door behind him.

Hitomi stood near the door in an outfit very similar to her school uniform, with a long look on her face.

After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, the queen asked. "So, Lady Hitomi, how do you explain you absence from the tournament today, not to mention dinner?"

Hitomi remained silent.

Finally, setting her brush down, the queen stood up and turned toward her guest. "Are you aware that failure to attend an event for which you have received a royal invitation is punishable by imprisonment."

"Well, you better call Allen back in here so he can take me to the dungeon then." Hitomi replied flatly.

Millerna's eyes narrowed in anger. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner! You are a guest in my kingdom and in my home. I will not be spoken to in this way. Do you understand me?"

Hitomi bowed her head. While she was as angry with Millerna as she was with Van, she knew that it was no reason to be rude. _'I wanted to be big about this and not petty. Nice going Hitomi.'_ "My apologize your Majesty."

"Save your apologize for Lord Van." The queen walked over to the teen. "What has gotten into you that you should treat him with such contempt?"

The image of Van and Millerna laughing together at the arena flashed in the girl's mind. "You have your Majesty." She looked up at the queen. "Is this your why of getting back at me for stealing Allen's affections away from you Millerna?"

Before she knew what she was doing, the queen's hand lashed out and struck the teen across the face. "How dare you?" The queen growled. "Do you think me so petty as to play games with a man's heart just for something as silly as revenge? You really are a stupid little girl."

"Yes, I am." The teen looked up at her supposed rival. "Stupid to think a king could harbor feelings for me. I'm sorry. I didn't realize your feelings for Van were genuine." She turned to leave. "I'll find Van and get him to send me back home so I won't be in the way."

Before she could take a step Millerna reached out and grabbed her, forcing her to turn around and look at her. "Goodness Hitomi, you really are dense. There is only one woman Van Fanel loves with all his heart, and that woman is not me."

Hitomi stared at the queen in disbelief. "But Merle saw you two. She said she saw you… "

"What she saw was a kind and caring king lend his support and comfort to a frightened queen." Ashamed of her own vulnerability, she turned away. "What she saw were two friends doing what friends do, nothing more." Suddenly, she turned sharply and stared at Hitomi. "And before you ask. No, I am not in love with Van. Since you left, Van has been very supportive and helpful in aiding me in becoming the ruling monarch of my kingdom. I respect and admire King Van. He is a good friend and confidant but my heart is my own right now. I have far too many responsibilities to even consider any type of relationship other than friendship, with anyone. Besides, when it comes to Van, it wouldn't matter if I were in love with him or not. He loves you Hitomi, and only you."

The teen stood perfectly still for several moments as the queen's words sank into her consciousness. _'He loves me and only me. He loves me… and me alone… he loves me.'_ Tears began to well up in her eyes. "Oh Millerna, I've been such a fool. I thought, with all the rumors going around yesterday and when Merle told me she saw you and Van together in an embrace. Then when I saw the two of you laughing together at the arena." She covered her face with her hands to hide her tears of shame.

"Its not too late but you need to find Van, and you need to set things straight. And you need to do this before his bout with Allen tomorrow at the arena."

"Wha… Why before then?" Hitomi looked up.

"Because Van is so distraught over this that if he walks into that arena in his current state of mind, he is going to humiliate himself in front of nearly all the rulers of Gaea. He will become a laughing stock and all he has tried to accomplish for his kingdom will have been for naught." 

"You're joking right." Hitomi's expression was filled with guilt.

"I wish I were, but I just saw Allen and Van practicing not more then thirty minutes ago and Allen defeated him easily five times in a row."

"Oh my god, its all my fault." She cupped her hands over her mouth. 

"No real harm has happened yet but you must find him."

"Yes, your right." Hitomi turned to run out the door then suddenly turned back and ran at Millerna wrapping the queen in her arms. "Thank you Millerna. Thank you for being a good friend, to both Van and me. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. Please, please forgive me."

After the initial shock of being hugged passed, Millerna hugged her back in an effort to share with her, her confidence and strength. "Go now, find Van and set things right."

"I will." The teen said then left in all haste.

Having left the door open as she ran out, the queen addressed the person standing in the hall, unseen. "You may come in now."

Allen walked into the room and closed the door. "How did you know I was there?"

"I didn't but I thought you might." She smiled.

"May I speak freely Your Majesty?" Allen requested.

"Always."

"When did you become so very wise?" 

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you've always been intelligent but wisdom, true wisdom is most often the product of age and experience. I guess I just wasn't looking when you made that step." He smiled then bowed down on one knee. "Is there anything further I can do for you tonight my Queen?" 

"No Sir Allen, sleep well tonight and represent your kingdom well, tomorrow in the arena."

"I will do my very best to uphold the honor of the Knights of Heaven Your Majesty." With that he rose and left her chambers.

As she got ready for bed she couldn't help but smile to herself. _'Thank you Van. I think, I think maybe just maybe you were right about me after all. Thank you for seeing it in me.'_

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, this took a little longer then I planned so the actual reconciliation won't be until the next chapter. Sorry. I'm also sorry for mentioning an action sequence then writing 4 more chapters where all the action that takes place is a simply clash of swords and a slap. Gomen. 

On a happier note, thank you all for your feedback and comments. You guys really brighten my day.

And for those that don't know ACEN'03 is the 2003 installment of the Anime Central convention, held at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, outside of Chicago. The first time I ever went to a con was two years ago at ACEN'01. It was in Arlington Heights that year and was a short walk from my house. It was the most fun I've ever had in three consecutive days. (I don't vacation much ^_^ ) Last years was even bigger and better. This year's looks to be the biggest yet with lots of guests (both Japanese and American (voice actors)) and lots of cool events and panels, not to mention 24 hours of anime playing in 6 rooms from the beginning of the con to the end. This year, I'll be working the con as well, as one of the photographers.

So if your at ACEN'03 this year and you see someone, about 5'7", with black hair, and glasses with a staff badge on and taking pictures of cosplayers and special guests, check to see if his nickname on the badge is A. Amishi, if it is, that will be me. ^____^

Now, its been mentioned a few times now that Hitomi and Van have yet to kiss. And well, there is a reason for that. Now correct me if I'm wrong but in the show, they never kissed. Even at the end when Hitomi leaves Gaea. They hug and share their feelings for each other but their lips never meet. I must say that frustrated the hell out of me, but its because of that, that I've decided not to have them lip-lock any sooner. But your wait is over. Well, at least till the next chapter. ^_^ I hope I will have made the wait worth it.

A. Amishi

PS: Just 23 or is it 22 days left till ACEN'03?!?! ^_~


	24. First Kiss

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 24

In the Palace in Palas, in Asturia

---

Hitomi Kanzaki ran down the hall toward Van's chambers. Gasping for air when she arrived, she knocked and called out. "Van, please, let me in! I need to speak with you!" 

"The door's open." A familiar feline voice said.

Opening the door and stepping in, Hitomi saw the catgirl sitting at the foot of Lord Van's bed, her arms wrapped around her knees.

"Merle, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"I came to tell Lord Van off. I came to tell him what a big mistake he was making by falling for Queen Millerna."

"But I was wrong, he wasn't!" She yelled and at the exact same instant, Hitomi yelled, "But we were wrong, he wasn't…!" 

"Oh! How do you know?" They said in unison.

After a minute Merle responded. "Lord Van told me. He said what he was doing was giving Millerna some advice and she was simply displaying her gratitude. He said she was really frightened over her new responsibilities as queen and just needed someone to talk to."

__

'She was frightened? That's what Millerna said herself.' Hitomi recalled.

"How did you know?"

"Ah, Millerna told me. She also said Van was terribly depressed."

"Oh he is. I've never seen him like this. I'm scared Hitomi. I'm afraid he may do something. I don't know, something foolish." She covered her face with her hands. "And it's all my fault." She cried.

The girl from the Mystic Moon walked over to her friend and sat next to her wrapping her arm around her shoulder. "Its okay Merle. It's not your fault, really. It was just a misunderstanding, that's all. I'll find Van and set things right. You'll see." She gave the young girl a hopeful smile.

"Really?" The feline looked up at her.

"Really." She smiled back. "But I've got to find him first. Did he give any indication as to where he might be heading."

"No, none at all." The catgirl wiped her eyes. "But you can still find him, can't you? You used to be able to do stuff like that."

"Yes, I should be able to." She took her arm away from her friend and clasped both hands to her chest. She then closed her eyes and thought of him. _'Van, where are you Van? I need to speak with you. Van, please.'_

Suddenly, the image of hundreds if not thousands of star flashed in her mind's eye. And the feeling of a gentle sway and light breeze.

"Aaah, I know where he is." She got up and headed for the door. 

"I'll go with you." Merle said as she jumped off the bed.

"No Merle, I need to speak with Van, alone. Please try and understand."

Though sad at the prospect of not going to help her king and friend, the young feline nodded and sat back down.

"I'll be back with Van before you know it." The teen smiled then turned and was out the door.

Ten minutes later a carriage stopped in front of the pier and a pretty young woman stepped out. She pulled her sweater tight around her to fight off the night chill caused by the light ocean breezes as she made her way down the pier. Without hesitation she walked straight to The Lady Vari. The gangplank was down so she walked onto the ship carefully. Looking from front to back she spotted someone laying face up on a large pile of ropes. Slowly, quietly she made her way over to the still figure.

Stopping just a few feet from the still person she asked. "Are they beautiful tonight?" As she looked up at the stars.

"Yes, they are. But they're always beautiful. We just don't always take the time to notice is all." He replied.

"Van, I came to say… I'm sorry. Please, forgive me." She whispered softly.

"I told you there was nothing going on between Millerna and me. But you chose not to believe me." He said matter-of-factly, without a hint of accusation in his voice.

"Hey, news flash, I'm not perfect. Hehe." Hitomi said nervously. "I know you may not believe it but I am just a fifteen year old girl, with all the insecurities and fears that come with being a teenager. So see, surprise! I get scared sometimes." 

"Scared of what?" He asked honestly.

"Scared that this is all a dream. That a brave and handsome king could in no way be in love with a plain, simple girl, like me. Afraid that someday your going to say, Hey, Hitomi, its been fun but you know I could never really fall in love with a girl from another world." She laughed sadly as tears clouded her vision. 

Van sat up and looked at the girl who stood before him. "Hitomi, I don't ask you to be perfect, all I ask is that you trust me, that you believe in me. Is that too much to ask."

She remained silent for a minute then answered. "And what I'm saying is that there are time when I don't trust myself, when I don't believe in myself. How can I trust you when I doubt myself sometimes?"

A look of sadness overcame him. "So what you're saying then is that you can't trust me. Is that it?"

The girl sighed, "No, that's not what I'm saying."

"Then what is it you're saying?" His frustration quite evident.

"What I'm saying is that sometimes I doubt myself, and because of that, it makes it difficult to trust others, even you, all the time." Seeing his deep sadness motivated her to continue. "That's why I need your reassurance from time to time. And even then I still jump to stupid conclusions, like today. That's when I need your understanding most of all." She smiled weakly at him. "That's… that's when I need you to tell me you forgive me. That… that you understand and that everything will be alright because you love me." She whimpered as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Van stood up and walked over to her. Placing his hands firmly on her shoulders he looked deeply into her eyes. "Hitomi, I forgive you. I understand. Everything will be alright… because, I love you." Then he pulled her into his gentle but strong embrace. 

"Oh Van, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." She cried softly. "I love you so much. It hurt so much to think you were in love with someone else." 

Van pulled back just a bit and placed his fingers under Hitomi's chin to get her to look up at him. "Oh Hitomi, don't you know? Only you own my heart, no one else." He whispered gently to her.

"Oh Van." With those words she was swept away; lost in his eyes, lost in his embrace, lost in his love. Slowly, she rose up to bring her lips close to his and in turn he lowered his head to bring his lips closer to hers. And at that moment when their lips met, every inch of her skin felt alive. Like a soft electric current, she tingled all over as her lips pressed against his. They were soft yet firm, wanting but not too hungry, loving and passionate but not lustful.

Without thinking her hands wandered up and down his back feeling the contours of his strong, lean muscles under his shirt. And for an all too brief moment she was certain she had died and gone to heaven. 

__

'I never imagined it would be like this. My first kiss. It's so… magical, so wonderful. How will any other ever hope to compare to this? No, don't worry now, just enjoy this now.' She shut off the logical part of her mind and allowed herself to just feel the pure joy that blossomed up inside her.

The kiss lasted both an eternity and an instant. Neither wanted it to end and so neither pulled away; rather they relished the moment as wave after wave of emotion washed over them. Only after these powerful feelings slowly subsided did they both lightly, gently, end the kiss. They stood in each other's embrace staring deeply into the other's eyes. Starlight shimmered off their orbs like tiny spirits of life. No further words were needed, so none were said. They simply enjoyed each other's touch as Hitomi rested her cheek on Van's chest and he rested his cheek on the side of her head. They held on tight, afraid to let go, afraid to let the moment slip away. As their heartbeats returned to normal after racing uncontrollably during the kiss, they looked at each other once again and smiled. Then hand in hand they left the ship and walked back up the pier. 

As they approached the carriage Van looked over at Hitomi who just shook her head.

"I think we'll walk tonight." Van addressed the coachman. The man bowed and closed the door then road off.

In perfect tranquil silence, they walked together through the streets of Palas toward the palace. While most of the streets were deserted, a few people wandered in and out. But they may as well have been alone in the middle of the sea together for all that their senses registered where the touch of their hands, the rhythm of their footfalls as they walked in sync, and the short glimpses each stole of the other as they walked. 

As they approached the palace thirty-five minutes later a sole figure atop the roof watched their ascension up the palace steps. 

As she wept silent tears she spoke to herself. "I'm happy for you Lord Van… and you too Hitomi. Really I am." 

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I hope I was able to convey that pure magic of that one pure, perfect kiss. I don't know if I've ever truly experience it but I know I've come very close a few times in my life. ^_^

I really hope you've enjoyed this chapter. And at this point I feel I must apologize because I will not be able to update this story for about a week, maybe a little longer then that. I am truly sorry. Allow me to explain. From Friday till Sunday, I will be camping in downstate Illinois. And when I return Sunday, I'm sure the only thing I'll be wanting to do is sleep. In addition, as the founder of the anime group NoSCAMS, Northwest Suburban Chicago Anime/Manga Society, I have been trying to accumulate a set of high quality fanfics to add to our website. Currently, there is only one on there (my own ^_^ ) but my webmaster has the second to be posted and I am currently editing three others that we hope to have up in the coming month. Well, as any writer knows, editing takes time and I have been neglecting my duty to edit the stories some very talented writers have sent to me by request. So I plan on getting some of that taken care of early next week. Sorry for the delay in updating but I will have a new chapter up by next weekend. I promise.

As always, I greatly appreciate all the wonderfully supportive comments you've all made. It is truly the fire that keeps my creative juices flowing. But I feel I must warn you, as the description says this story will take us all the way through Hitomi's senior year in high school and beyond. That's a very long time and so far I'm just on the first visit. Basically, what I'm saying is I hope you're in it for the long haul because I know I am. This is why I've intentionally kept each chapter short. But in doing so I fully expect to have over a hundred chapters to this story. I hope I didn't scare you off with this revelation but I felt you deserved to know. 

I look forward to reading what you thought about this chapter, come Sunday night. I hope I have met your expectations. ^__^

A. Amishi

PS: Just 21 days till ACEN'03!!! ^_^


	25. Vision of Disaster

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 25

At the Great Arena

---

"Isn't it dangerous for them to be fighting without any armor on?" Hitomi Kanzaki asked.

"The objective in this tournament isn't to strike or disable your opponent." Van Fanel replied.

"It's not?" 

"No," pointing at one of the young knights on the field he continued. "See the flower in his lapel. The objective is to sever the flower from its stem without marking your opponent at all."

"Oh, well… what happens if you do strike your opponent?" The she asked.

"You lose automatically."

"Well, wouldn't it be easy enough for someone to let themselves get marked intentionally so they can win?" She inquired.

"That would go against the code of a knight, besides even if a knight did try to do that, he may suffer an injury that would prevent him from continuing in the next round or worse he may suffer a serious enough injury that would prevent him from continuing on as a knight. No, this tournament is to test the skills of the contestants, there swordsmanship. No knight of Asturia would disgrace himself and his order by allowing himself to be marked intentionally." The king declared.

"Oh, I see." Hitomi felt more than a little ashamed for even suggesting anyone might try to cheat. "Hmm, well has anyone been seriously wounded during the tournament?"

"A few, but that was in the earlier rounds yesterday. Some of the younger, less experienced knights got careless but none of the injuries were fatal. Yesterday, there were over 200 knights that started the tournament. Today the final sixteen will compete for the tournament championship." 

"Why isn't Allen competing?"

"Because he is a Knight of Heaven. This tournament serves to identify the best young knights that have been training the past three years. Allen and the other Knights of Heaven have nothing to prove. In fact, it is widely accepted that the Knights of Heaven are not only the finest knights in Asturia but are the finest knights in all of Gaea and of the twelve Knights of Heaven, Allen Schezar is regarded as the most skilled with the sword." 

"And you're going to fight him after the tournament is over?"

"Yes."

"But why?"

"To honor Queen Millerna. The original plan was for the best knight from each kingdom to compete in an exhibition after the tournament but when they heard they would have to compete against Allen Schezar, they all turned down the invitation."

"Why?"

"No one wants to be humiliated in front of all the rulers of Gaea."

"So why are your competing?"

"Because I intend to win." Van looked out over the field. "The first match is about to start."

Hitomi couldn't help but smile. _'He's so confident in himself. He really thinks he can beat Allen. I hope he's right.'_

On the field, the two knights and the official bowed to their queen then turned to commence fighting. After receiving the signal from the official the two knights raised their swords and began circling each other. The two young knights were 16 and 18 respectively, each was a student of Sir Vincent Holler, the oldest of the Knights of Heaven, widely regarded as the finest sword instructor in Asturia. The two competitors had crossed swords many times while training and were very familiar with each other's tendencies and it showed. When one would lunge forward with an attack the other would take a specific defensive stance, which would cause his opponent to halt his attack. This went back and forth for several minutes without their swords actually clashing once. 

"What are they doing?" Merle asked.

"They're feeling each other out. Testing what defenses the other will use depending on the attack." Van pointed to one of the knights. "Look carefully and you'll see that he doesn't attack the same way twice. He does this to see what type of defense his opponent will use against each particular attack. Once he finds a defense he is confident he can defeat, his attack will be real."

Just then the older knight charged holding his sword wide to his right. He made a broad sweeping stroke at his opponent who quickly positioned his sword to block the attack. The older knight used the block of his attack to swing his sword back around as he spun to his right and raised his blade high in the air. Spinning all the way around, he brought his blade down to strike. Again, the younger knight blocked the attack then spun to his right while side stepping his opponent. He then launched his own attack, thrusting his sword forward at the orchid in his opponent's lapel. The older knight swung his blade to the left, blocking the attack sending the younger knight's blade wide right, leaving him exposed. The older knight quickly seized the advantage slashing swiftly at his opponent's lapel. The younger knight recovered with remarkable speed, bringing his blade back down against his adversary's blade while stepping back with his left foot to avoid his blade. The sword of the older knight struck a petal of the younger knight's flower, slicing it in half. The official took a few steps forward but then backed away and signaled for the match to continue. 

The two young knights continued attacking and counter-attacking time and again, each time managing to block or avoid a strike that would eliminate them from the tournament. After about twenty minutes, the two knights, weary and sweaty stood toe-to-toe, exchanging blows with their swords. Finally, carelessness on the part of the younger caused him to swipe wide with his blade and he stuck his opponent along his arm, slicing the sleeve open but avoiding the flesh. The official immediately raised his hand high in the air and instructed the two competitors to stop and separate. After a quick inspection of the gaping tear the official signaled the older knight the winner of the match. The each bowed to the queen then exchanged a handshake. Then they turned to the official and bowed respectfully and left the field. The crowd applauded enthusiastically as the two opponents walked off the field.

"So what did you think?" Van asked Hitomi who was sitting to his right. 

"Wow, that was much more intense than I thought it would be. I assumed since they had to avoid striking each other, they would be more deliberate with their attacks, not as fast. But I was wrong. I must say there were a few time there I thought one or the other was going to lose a limb." She admitted.

"But neither sliced the flower off. All he did was tear the other knight's shirt." Merle complained.

"That's all it takes. Control is critical, failure to control ones sword is a sign of an undisciplined knight." Van explained.

"Mmm" was all Merle responded with.

"Oh, the next match is about to start." Hitomi said with a fair amount of excitement in her voice.

As the matches continued on throughout the morning and afternoon Hitomi began to realize that all the competitors save one was at least a year older then Van. With the exception of when she first saw him appear on her high school track field and later when he was being coronated, she never really looked at him as being a teenager like herself. _'Against the dragon, he just looked so young and during the coronation he looked like a boy wearing his father's clothes.'_ She thought. _'But other than that, he always seemed so much, older; so much more mature.'_ She stole a glance at him. _'Can he defeat Allen in a tournament like this? In Escaflowne, I have no doubt, but this. He said so himself, control is critical. He's always seemed so reckless. When fighting for his life, it served him well, but here?'_ Her confidence in his ability to defeat Allen began to wane. 

The king glanced at the object of his affections only to see her turn her gaze from him down to her lap as she began to brush way some none existent wrinkles in her dress, one Millerna had given to her and had insisted she wear to the tournament.

"Is something wrong Hitomi?" The king asked.

"Hmm?" She looked up at him with a forced smile. "No, nothing… nothing at all."

"That's good." He replied as he lightly patted her hand.

In that instant, a vision appeared to the girl from the Mystic Moon. As she stared straight ahead she saw Van and Allen bow to each other then raise their swords and begin battling. But in less then a minute Allen severed Van's flower from its stem and the crowd of rulers and dignitaries began laughing uncontrollably. She broke in a cold sweat at the image of Van's humiliating defeat. _'I can't let that happen.'_ She stole another glance at him. _'But what can I do? He would never agree not to fight. He's made the commitment. He'll go through with it no matter what.'_ She continued to sit and stare off into nowhere as she tried to think of something, anything to save the man she loved from such humiliation.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry for the long wait. Well, I managed to survive another campout, barely. ^_^ I should be able to update more regularly now until May 15th. That's the day before ACEN'03. Of course, I will be at the con that entire weekend and won't be writing while I'm there. But I hope to post at least 5 or 6 chapters before then. Maybe more if I'm especially inspired. ^_~

I hope I was able to get you to visually the sword match clearly. I really don't thing such things are my strong suit but I hope I did it justice. 

Okay, time for reader interaction, where you get the chance to have some direct input in what happens in the story. As I'm sure you know. There is no way, I can allow Van to be humiliated in front of all the rulers of Gaea so here is your opportunity to offer your suggestions as to how or what Hitomi will do to enable Van to fight with more focus and control. I have an idea I am planning to use but if anyone suggests something that I like better than the one I already have, I'll go ahead and use it and of course give credit where credit is due. ^___^

The match between Van and Allen should take place in chapter 27 or 28 so you have until then.

Again, thank you all for your wonderful support. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I must say I liked it a lot while I was writing it. It just felt so right. 

A. Amishi

PS: Just 15 more days till ACEN'03!!! ^_^


	26. Hitomi's Fears

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 26

At the Great Arena

---

The final match pitted the 18-year-old knight, Erwin Heatherton, who was trained by Sir Vincent Holler, against a young 15-year-old prodigy, Stephen Stellar, who was trained by Sir Allen Schezar. After the first match, which lasted for nearly 30 minutes, all the other matches preceded much quicker averaging about 10 minutes a match. 

The young fair-haired knight reminded his mentor of himself when he was but a lad. Though not as physically impressive as Allen had been even in his youth, the young Stephen Stellar was already very skilled with the sword before Allen began training him four months ago. Stephen managed to defeat his three opponents in less than five minutes each. Now he was facing his toughest opponent. 

Erwin was regarded as the best young knight in Asturia. Capable of defeating many knights twice his age and with his mentor's expected retirement approaching, many within the Palace and amongst the Royal Guard suspected young Erwin would be the most likely candidate to replace Sir Vincent as a Knight of Heaven. Now the two young warriors faced off for the first time in the tournament championship. 

Everyone in the arena looked on with great anticipation, everyone except Hitomi Kanzaki, who was still struggling with her vision and how she possibly could prevent it. She reasoned, _'I've been able to prevent other visions I've had. I've managed to save Van more than once by intervening but what can I do about this? I can't tell him not to fight. He's already given his word he will. I can't tell him about my vision, that would just worry him and possibly cause him to make a fatal mistake sooner. What can I do? I don't know. I just don't know.'_ She stared in the direction of the fighters without actually seeing the match transpire.

Slowly the contestants circled each other, lashing out and clashing swords every so often, testing each other's strength and speed. Finally, Erwin made a serious attack, thrusting his sword at the lapel of his opponent. Stephen deflected the attack to the side then countered with an upward sweeping motion that Erwin first sidestepped then spun around and brought his sword to bear at Stephen once again. The younger knight blocked the attack and countered with a thrust of his own which the older knight deflected while retreating to a safer distance. At this point the tide of the match began to shift. Where Erwin started out as the aggressor, now Stephen was pressing the contest.

"What just happened? How come Erwin isn't attacking anymore?" Merle asked.

"After that last exchange, he realized that Stephen is faster with the sword than he is. He almost lost to Stephen's counterattacks twice already and now he's on the defensive." Van explained.

"But he has to attack eventually if he hopes to win." Merle offered.

Van nodded, then continued. "He will try and wear down Stephen by extending the match, in hopes that the younger fighter will tire and eventually make a mistake; drop his guard or miss his mark." 

"Kind of like in his first match?" 

"Yes, exactly." Looking over at Hitomi who appeared to be watching the match intently, Van asked. "What to you think of the match so far?"

She just nodded.

A mild look of confusion crossed the young king's face as he looked from Hitomi over to Merle who just shrugged and went back to watching the match. He knew something was troubling her but he reasoned that if it were truly important she would have told him already. He decided to make a point to ask her about it later, perhaps after his own match with Allen.

As the match pressed on with the younger knight attacking and the older knight blocking and counterattacking, it was becoming apparent that the younger knight was beginning to tire. His attacks were no longer crisp and clean. While earlier in the match his attacks were mostly thrusts at his opponent's lapel, now most of his attacks were slashes that allowed him to use his whole body to bring his sword around. But even as Stephen's attacks changed, he was still faster than Erwin and it was only the older knight's experience that kept him in the match.

As the two combatants circled around each other, sweat dripping from their brow, Stephen knew if he were going to have a chance at winning he would need to end it soon. As the muscles in his arm and back began to burn from the strain of wielding his sword for more then twenty minutes, the young knight charged with a flurry of attacking strokes as he drove his competitor further and further back. And right when he thought he had the older, taller knight totally on the defensive, Erwin brought his sword around and over, forcing his opponents weapon from his hand. Without hesitation, he swiped at the younger knights lapel, severing the flower at the stem before Stephen's sword hit the ground. The arena was in stunned silence for just a moment. It appeared to everyone that the victory would go to the younger warrior but this day, experience prevailed. Eventually, the huge facility erupted in applause and cheers as the modest victor walked over to his opponent who had collapsed to his knees. Stephen was in as much shook as the audience had been. Only once had he ever been disarmed in that manner and that was by his mentor. To have it happen here in the tournament championship was too much of a shock for him to bear. He was brought back to reality by the presence of a hand extended in friendship. Looking up he saw Erwin looking down at him. Not with a smug look of victory but with one of genuine respect and admiration. The young Stephen took his hand and rose to his feet. 

"You're an amazing fighter Stephen. I'm only glad we both serve the same Queen. I would hate to ever have to face you in battle." The older knight stated.

"I only hope to someday approach your prowess with the sword Erwin. Congratulations, truly this day the better man did win." The younger knight acknowledged.

The official walked over and checked Stephen's lapel for any marks of which there were none then he raised Erwin's hand signaling him the official winner of the tournament. The cheers grew even louder and both Stephen and the official bowed respectfully to the champion. Only now with the coaxing from his competitor did Erwin raise his sword over his head as a sign of victory as he acknowledged all those in the arena. 

After retrieving his sword, Stephen and the official exited the battlefield. As they did, royal servants began rolling out a four foot wide crimson carpet from the entrance to the field to the middle of the field. One of the Queen's aids gestured for Erwin to take his place at the end of the carpet where he kneeled down and placed his sword on the ground in front of him.

A moment later trumpets sounded and the Queen and her court entered the field. Everyone in the stands rose to their feet in respect of Asturia's monarch, everyone except Hitomi who was still lost in her thoughts. Van looked over, noticing she had not risen, gently took her arm, which caused her to gasp with a start. "Queen Millerna is presenting the champion with his prize." He whispered to her. 

Looking around quickly, she noticed everyone was standing and rose to her feet as well. After a moment she noticed Van staring at her out of the corner of her eye. She looked over at him with an innocent expression on her face. 

Not dissuade by her placid expression. He now knew something was troubling her but as he was about to ask her one of the royal vassals approached him from behind. 

"Your Majesty, I am to escort you to the preparation chambers for your match with Sir Allen." The vassal bowed respectfully.

"Of course." He turned to his companions. "Charson, look after these two lovely ladies for me."

"Of course Your Majesty." Sir Charson bowed.

"Ladies." He nodded his head in Merle's direction first. 

"Lord Van." She bowed, holding her hands just below her mouth, one hand clasped over the other as she smiled ear to ear. "Good luck Lord Van. I know you're going to win."

He then nodded his head toward Hitomi, so simply smiled back. A troubled look crossed his brow but for a moment, but long enough for Hitomi to notice and know what she had fear doing had already happened. _'He suspects, he's seen me enter a trance to many times. He knows I've seen something, something that was seriously troubling me. Now he's going to be worried about my vision rather than concentrating on the match. What am I going to do?'_

So caught up in her thoughts she didn't even notice that Van had turned and left already. It wasn't until Merle walked up to her and pulled on her sleeve. "Mmm?" She stared wide-eyed as the catgirl.

"Did you hear Lord Van? He called me a lovely lady." She smiled, giggling like a little girl.

The older teen smiled. "Yes Merle, I heard him." She looked out onto the field in time to see Millerna place a medal around his neck. "And you know what? He was right." She turned back to her friend and smiled.

This caused Merle's smile to double in size. 

As the queen, her escorts and Erwin Heatherton made their way off the battlefield another royal vassal entered and approached Sir Charson. "Her Majesty, the Queen has requested the pleasure of your company during the match between His Majesty, King Van and Sir Allen Schezar." He said, addressing all three representatives of Fanelia. "Would you come this way?" He gestured.

"It would be our honor." The minister nodded to the vassal. "Ladies, shall we?"

"Of course." Hitomi smiled as she stared walking in the direction gestured by the servant before being cut off by Merle who ran out ahead.

"Come on, we don't want to miss seeing Lord Van fight." The catgirl yelled.

Hitomi looked with concern to the servant.

"There is no need for concern. It will be some time before the match begins." He assured her. Suddenly loud laughter could be heard from within the arena. "Circus performers are currently entertaining the crowds." He explained as they walked toward the royal seating area.

Once there, the vassal drew the purple curtain aside and announced their arrival. The queen and her sister, along with the other members of the royal family all stood. 

"Sir Charson, Hitomi, Merle, please come sit." Millerna gestured to the seats to her left. "Hitomi, please, sit here." Gesturing to the seat closest to her.

"Thank you Your Highness." The teen bowed and took her seat.

"Hitomi? What's wrong? You look troubled." The queen asked without hesitation.

__

'Man, she doesn't miss a thing.' The teen forced a smile and lied. "It's nothing really. I'm just a little concerned about this match is all." 

"I see. Well, assuming you took care of things like you said you would," The queen winked at her. "I'm sure Lord Van will represent himself and his kingdom well." He smiled.

"And what if he doesn't? I mean, what if he loses?" The teen added.

"Well, as long as he doesn't lose in the first minute of the match I'm sure no real harm will come of it. Other than Van's brused pride. To be honest, no one other than Van expects him to win."

Merle, who had been listening to the conversation, humphed and turned her head away while sticking her nose up in the air.

"I stand corrected." Millerna grinned. "But in all seriousness, Allen is regarded as the finest swordsman in all of Gaea and he is six years Van's senior, but I'm sure Lord Van will give a respectable showing of himself."

Hitomi smiled weakly. _'If you only knew, you would call off the match right now.'_ Her eyes grow wide with that thought. _'Maybe if I tell Millerna, she'll call of the match, then… no that's no good. Van would insist on knowing why. And then he'd insist on going on with it anyway. He can be so stubborn sometimes.' _Just then Hitomi caught sight of Princess Eries placing a small mirror back in her clutch purse and after the mirror she placed a handkerchief. And idea popped into Hitomi's head. "Princess Eries?"

The queen's older sister looked over at her. "May I borrow your handkerchief for the evening?" She asked.

The older woman gave a surprised expression but reached down and pulled out the item and extended it to Hitomi. "Of course, but what do you need it for?" She asked.

"Something very important." She stood up and took the item. "Your Majesty, where might I find Lord Van? There is something of the utmost importance I must tell him." 

Confusion crossed the queen's face. "Can't it wait till after the match? He's preparing himself as we speak."

"No Your Majesty. It most certainly cannot wait till after the match. I must speak with him before the match." She insisted.

Still unsure but willing to trust her friend, Millerna gestured to one of her servants. "Take Lady Hitomi down to where Lord Van is preparing himself for his match."

"Yes Your Highness." He bowed, "This way Lady Hitomi." He said leading the way.

"What was that about?" Merle asked.

The queen just shrugged and looked back over to her sister who did the same thing.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry, sorry, sorry… for so many things. Sorry for taking so long to update this story. Things got more hectic than I anticipated. Sorry, for the cliffhanger, both in the last chapter and this one. To be honest, I didn't think the last chapter was a cliffhanger, but I suppose it was. Sorry, it wasn't trying to be evil, really. Now this one I know is, but I've already made this chapter much longer than I planned so I feel I must end it here. All will be resolved in the next chapter… or two. ^_^ Sorry. 

Well, since no one could come up with a suggestion as to how Hitomi could save Van from certain humiliation, I'm going with my original idea. I hope you like it. ^_^ 

Again, thanks sooooooooo much for all your supportive comments. And believe me, I love every single one of them. Well, okay maybe all but one of them that that one came a long time ago.

If you get tired of waiting for me to update this story and are a fan of Dual, Eva, or Outlaw Star, you may try taking a look at one of my other stories. Oh, I also have a Daria story posted here. Well, two actually, but one is unfinished and probably never will be. I really should take it off. Anyway, I'd like to know what you think of my other works as well. ^_^ For those of you over the age of 17 a more mature version of my OLS story, The Rise before the Fall is on my website, www.noscams.org.

Again, thank you all and have a great day. ^_______^

A. Amishi

PS: Just 10 days till ACEN'03!!! ^__^


	27. To Preserve My Honor

AN: Your wish is my command. ^___^ Sort of. ^_____~

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 27

At the Great Arena

---

As the royal vassal entered the preparation chamber where Van was readying himself, he announced, "Lord Van, the Lady Hitomi requests an audience."

Turning to face the man, the young king nodded. "Of course, send her in." He face set in deep, serious concentration.

Hitomi walked in as the vassal bowed and walked out. 

"Van, There is something I wanted to tell you…" She started before he cut her off.

"You had a vision, didn't you?" He buttoned down his vest. "You saw me lose to Allen." He stared at his hands as they worked the buttons. "Don't worry Hitomi. I won't lose. It wouldn't be the first time you visions failed to come true." Finished with vest, he looked up at her with a smile. "I will beat Allen Schezar and be granted the unofficial title of finest swordsman in all of Gaea."

Hitomi took a deep breath and walked up to him. Steeling her courage for what she wanted to say, she exhaled and smiled. "Of this, I am sure." Clutching her hands over her heart she continued. "In my world, back in the day of knights and chivalry, it was customary for a lady whose heart belonged to a warrior, to bestow on that knight a symbol of her favor. A small token to remind him as he went off to war that he had someone to return to. Later, during times of peace, a lady might grant a similar favor to her love before a tournament as a symbol of her love and devotion, and as a reminder to him of what he was truly fighting for. Not for personal glory but for the honor of his true love."

She extended her hands toward him, revealing the delicate handkerchief. "Lord Van, would you do me the honor of wearing this, a symbol of my favor to you? Will you fight not for your own glory but to preserve my honor?" Her eyes stared deeply into his, as if searching out his very soul.

Van's heart began to race. Her words of what a woman's favor symbolized stirred his soul. Though no one else in the arena would know the significance of this simple gesture, they would. Slowly, he drew his sword and speared it into the ground, then bowing down on one knee before her, his hands on the cross guard he spoke. "Lady Hitomi, on my honor as a king and as a swordsman, I will use all my strength and skill to defend your honor."

Hitomi stepped closer and tied the handkerchief to the ring at the end of his sword. "I am depending upon you My King." She replied as she stepped back and curtsied. With nothing more to say, she turned and left.

Van rose to watch her leave. No more words were needed so none were said. As she walked past the curtain that covered the doorway, he looked down at the symbol of her favor toward him and his spirit soared as a deathly serious expression etched itself upon his features. "With all my skill and strength, I shall defend your honor Hitomi. I swear it."

**********

The crowd continued to laugh and cheer as the circus performers continued to entertain. Prince Chid, who sat with some of his cousins in the royal seating area, some younger some older than him, was enjoying himself thoroughly. It was a rare opportunity for the boy ruler to be able to enjoy himself as a child. And he was taking full advantage of this opportunity.

Hitomi returned after a prolonged absence. Taking her seat she turned to the queen. "I'm sorry for my absence Your Majesty." Choosing to keep the reason for her sudden departure a secret.

"Is everything alright?" The queen asked.

The teen paused for a moment then smiled, "Yes, yes I believe it is."

**********

In his preparation chamber, Van went through a series of maneuvers with his blade both to sharpen his concentration and to get comfortable in the clothes he was wearing. His outfit for the tournament was similar to what Allen normally wore as a Knight of Heaven but in dark earthy tones and without the long overcoat. Never before, not even during the war, was he more focused on his objective as he was at this moment in time.

So focused was the young king that he failed to hear his escort call him three times. Finally, the escort yelled loudly, "My Lord! It is time!"

Van turned abruptly and stared at the man. The escort gasped and took a quick step back as three drops of cold sweat rolled from his forehead on down his face. In a shaky voice he asked. "A… are you re-ready My Lord?"

Van straightened his posture and sheathed his sword. "Yes, lets go." He replied as he walked past his escort and out of the room.

As he approached the oversized entryway to the combat field he saw Allen approaching from the opposite hallway. While his expression remained unchanged, he extended his hand in friendship to his former companion in battle. "Good luck Allen. I hope this will prove to be a good match."

"As do I Van. Good luck." Allen smiled at his friend as they shock hands.

As the circus performers exited the field from a different entryway, Allen and Van stood in the shadows of the opening, just out of sight of the crowd as they waited for the match official to take the field and introduce them. As they waited, the Knight glanced over at the young King and noticed the handkerchief tied to the end of his sword. 

"Van, if you don't mind me asking. What is that?" He pointed to the delicate fabric.

"A favor from the woman I love." He answered while still looking straight ahead.

"A favor?" The Knight's brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Today I fight for the honor of Hitomi Kanzaki. And not you nor the very founders of Atlantis will defeat me this day." The king proclaimed.

Hearing Van's words shocked the Knight somewhat but he quickly smiled and nodded. _'Perhaps this will be a good match after all.'_

The match official, Sir Stanley Tannir, regarded as the most noble and righteous of the twelve Knights of Heaven, took the field and gestured for the crowd to quiet down. Then he proceeded to introduce the competitors. 

"Your Majesty, rulers of Gaea, honored guests, ladies and gentleman, in this very special match, we have the great honor of presenting two of the heroes of the Coalition War here today to entertain us with their brilliant swordsmanship. From the kingdom of Fanelia, the proud and noble King Van Salanzar de Fanel."

The young King walked out onto the field of combat to the warm enthusiastic applause of the crowd and one particularly loud and vocal catgirl.

After the applause died down and Hitomi forcibly made Merle sit down, Sir Stanley continue. 

"And representing the kingdom of Asturia, the brave and noble Knight of Heaven, Sir Allen Schezar."

As the young Knight walked onto the field the crowd erupted in thunderous applause and cheers, except for the same catgirl who hissed and booed, until she noticed all the eyes of the mostly Asturian contingent in the royal seating area staring at her. At which point she did the best she could to hide behind Hitomi's arm.

Once both warriors had taken their positions, Sir Stanley walked up to King Van and placed a white orchid in the buttonhole of his lapel. He bowed respectfully and said, "Good luck Your Majesty."

Then he walked over to Sir Allen and did the same with another while orchid. "Good luck Sir Allen." He bowed. Completing this task he stepped a safe distance from the two fighters.

The two man turned toward the royal box and bowed then turned to face each other and drew their swords, saluting each other by raising their swords up to face level with the blade pointed straight up in the air. 

"Let the match commence." Sir Stanley yelled.

And the two friends took attack postures.

__

'You can do it Van. I know you can. I believe in you.' Hitomi told herself as she looked on with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. 

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry to end it like this but the fight is going to be long and will be in chapter in itself. So I thought I'd post this and get the fight out in the next day or two. I hope I made the use of the handkerchief and the story behind it plausible. I've seen that kind of thing in lots of old movies so I hope it makes sense to you all. By the way, just incase some of you were thinking the reason Hitomi smiled when she returned to the royal box after seeing Van was because she had a vision of the coming battle so she knew he wouldn't be humiliated. She didn't. At no time in this chapter does she have a vision of the match, it's just her faith in Van and the intensity she saw in his eyes that convinced her that he would do well. 

Again, sorry about being evil. It was not my intention to include so many cliffhangers in this story but in order to post every few days, I need to keep these chapters short. Sorry. L 

Thank you all for your reviews and comments. You really keep me going. J 

A. Amishi

PS: Just 9 more days till ACEN'03!!! ^__^


	28. The Epic Battle

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 28

At the Great Arena

---

As the last of the circus performers exited the combat field, the sixteen knights that had competed in that day's tournament came to stand by the entryway. 

"This should prove interesting." Erwin thought out loud.

"I say Sir Allen dispatches the Fanelian King in less than five minutes." Stephen stated confidently.

Most of the other knights present nodded in agreement.

"Don't be so sure. Lord Van did defeat Sir Allen at the end of the war." Erwin reminded the others.

"But that was in Guymelefs, this is hand to hand. There's no one in all Asturia who can compete with Sir Allen Schezar, what makes you think that Fanelian will be able to?" Alex Bolter, a 17-year old knight asked.

"Watch your tongue." Erwin snapped. "That Fanelian is a King and a hero of the Coalition War. His very name demands respect." He spurned his fellow knight.

Alex lowered his head in shame for the disrespectful manner in which he made reference to Lord Van.

"Still, do you really believe he stands a chance against Sir Allen?" Stephen asked.

"To win? No, but I think it will last longer than you think." Erwin grinned then excitement flashed in his eyes as Sir Stanley ordered match to commence. "They've begun."

All the young knights leaned forward just a bet as if that simple action would give them a better view of the match.

Both Hitomi and Merle were on the edge of their seats at the start of the match. Queen Millerna glanced over at them with some amusement. "Relax, the match has only just begun."

No sooner had these words passed her lips that the two combatants charged each other and in a span of just two seconds their swords clashed five times in a series of attacks and counter-attacks. The speed with which the two fought astounded everyone in the arena and everyone in the royal seating box jumped to their feet including the queen and her sister.

"My god, I've never seen anyone attack with such speed." Stephen exclaimed.

"Nor I." Erwin agreed along with the other knights.

While Allen remained confident and relaxed while waiting to be introduced, the moment he stepped out onto the field his concentration level rivaled that of Lord Van. _'You're my friend, my comrade Van but I cannot hold back. Even if it means humiliating you in front of all of Gaea, I must battle you with my very best effort, for my Queen, for Asturia, for the order of the Knights of Heaven. I must defeat you.'_ His face turned stern and cold as they bowed to the queen then turned to face off.

Once Sir Stanley signaled the start of the match, and the two competitors took their attack postures, Van wasted no time and charged Allen at full speed. Without hesitation Allen matched his charge. The King made the first strike, which the Knight blocked then countered with two successive attacks. Both, the King blocked and attacked again, and again the Knight blocked and countered, which the King blocked. From the moment the two swords made contact the first time to the time they met for the fifth time, only two seconds transpired as both warrior backed off for a moment but only for a moment.

Again Van attacked and again Allen charged to meet him. The speed and fury of their attacks seemed more that of two old foes battling to the death rather than two friends attempting to sever a blossom from the other's lapel.

The contest continued at lighting speed as both swordsmen battled fiercely. So intense was the match that everyone in the stands was on their feet gasping and cheering. Hitomi and Merle watched in total amazement and shock with their hearts in their throats. 

During one exchange where the two combatants stood toe to toe exchanging attacks and counterattacks, for a minute straight, their swords crossed nearly a hundred times before Allen backed way only for a moment then charged and attacked again.

"How long have they been fighting like this?" One of the younger knights asked.

"At least fifteen minutes now." Erwin assumed.

"They can't keep this pace up. It's impossible." Stephen replied.

"They don't appear to be slowing in the least." Erwin observed. "If anything, I think they may actually be getting faster."

"By Jichia, how can they fight like this? It's not human." Another knight commented.

"None of us would last a minute in the arena against either of them." Stephen stated plainly.

All the other knights simply nodded slowly in agreement.

Both warriors maintained a serious yet emotionless expression as perspiration steamed down their faces and matted their clothes to their bodies; they remained focused on their objectives. Their resolve never faltering for a moment as they battled. As one would launch a series of attacks, the other would fall back for a moment then counter with a series of attacks as well. This continued on for another ten minutes. Finally, during one series of attacks by Van, Allen saw an opportunity. A fatal mistake that Van had exposed himself to Allen before, which allowed the Knight to disarm the King in the past. And as the Knight brought his sword around to send the King's sword sailing in the air, the King drew back on his weapon, spun and attacked again. This caught the Knight off guard but only for a moment. He quickly recovered and back peddled while blocking the King's attacks. Then he launched his own attack once more.

Forty minutes into the contest and neither competitor showed any signs of slowing down. The stands were filled with old man, young children and frail woman who collapsed from the excitement of the match. In the royal seating area, both Hitomi and Merle were near exhaustion simply watching the match. Leaning over the stone barrier they emitted a series of groans, gasps and screams as well as some incoherent words during the course of the action. 

Hitomi stared on, her palms covered in sweat, her face as pale as a ghost. 

__

'This is too much. They're going to kill each other, if not with their swords, then from pure exhaustion. This has to stop. It has to.' 

She was about to turn around and ask the queen to call an end to the match when she caught sight of Van's eyes. 

__

'He's so determined. So focused.' 

Then she saw his hands and how he had woven the end of the handkerchief between the fingers of his hand closest to the end. 

__

'I can't stop him now. Not after asking him to fight for my honor. Believe in him Hitomi. Just believe.' 

She looked over at Allen and saw a similar resolve. For the first time in the match the two warriors took a moment to catch their breath as they circled each other. 

__

'Regardless of who wins, my honor is secure. You've seen to that Van.' 

She smiled but the smile was replaced by a gasp as they each launched another attack.

While both warriors seemed to be constantly on the attack, it was necessary to alter their attacks slightly to block and counter, but because their movements were so fast, it was impossible for the untrained eye to tell the difference and difficult even for the trained eye. And while it appeared that neither fighter was slowing down in the least, their muscles were telling them otherwise. But neither man would subject themselves to their pain. Their focus was so complete that neither realized that their gloves began to drip with the blood from their raw hands. But after the next exchange, which saw them cross swords 50 times before each man backed off, they both realized the end was near for one of them. 

__

'I have to make this last attack count. I have to reach his orchid with this attack or I've lost, I have nothing left. I have to do it now.' Van told himself as he circled his opponent.

__

'This is it, all or nothing. He's better than I ever imagined. I have nothing left. I have to do it now. It's now or never.' Allen told himself as he mirrored Van's movements.

Readying themselves for one last attack, they continued to circle about, drawing ever closer with each step. Finally, in a lighting quick flurry of lunges and blocks they stood once again toe to toe attacking and countering, until they each attacked at the same instant. It took but an instant but it seemed to take an eternity to the two warriors. As Allen's sword, blade side down sliced through the stem of Van's orchid while at the very same moment in time, Van's sword, blade side up came under his opponent's weapon and sliced the stem of the Knight's flower.

Both flowers fell to the ground at the same time as the two men stood perfectly still, their swords still extended. Slowly they withdrew and sheathed them.

The crowd remained perfectly silent as they waited for the announcement from Sir Stanley. The noble official walked up to Allen first and checked his lapel then gave a quick inspection of the rest of his clothing. Not a mark was found. Then we walked over to Van and checked his lapel. He had to look twice and the second time he took several long seconds to study the material around the stem. It was faint, barely noticeable, but it was there; a small cut of no more than six or seven fibers, clearly made by a sharp object, a sword. 

Sir Stanley took Van's right arm and raised it in the air. "Lord Van has been marked. The winner of the match is King Van Salanzar de Fanel of Fanelia."

The arena erupted in applause as both warriors with given a standing ovation. The young knights, who had been standing out of sight at one of the arena's entryways, stepped forward and applauded the two competitors. 

Releasing Van's arm, Sir Stanley backed away and applauded the two combatants as well. The three men then turned toward the royal box and bowed. Looking up they saw everyone including Queen Millerna standing along the edge applauding. Van stole a glance over at Hitomi and saw a smile on her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. Standing next to her was Merle who was in the same state. 

The queen made a small gesture to which Sir Stanley nodded then she proceeded to leave the seating area to head down to the field. As she started walking toward the back curtain the turned. "Hitomi, won't you come down with me?" The Queen offered.

The teen gave a small gasp and blushed, but quickly recovered her wits and bowed. "Thank you Your Majesty." She replied as she began following the entourage. Before passing the curtain, the turned back, "Merle, aren't you coming?" She asked.

Scratching the back of her head the catgirl grinned and said. "Nay, you go ahead." She waved her friend on.

As Hitomi passed the curtain, Merle sat back down and folded her arms over her chest. "Beside, I wasn't asked." She pouted.

Sir Charson looked over at the catgirl with a hint of sadness in his eyes. _'Poor thing, always overlooked.'_

Down of the field of combat, Van and Allen turned and extended their hands to each other. As they clasped hands, they both winced in pain. Withdrawing, they each pulled off their gloves and were shocked as blood poured out when they removed their hands. The crowd gasped in horror and the official ordered medical attendants be sent for immediately. Only after removing his glove and seeing torn soars and blisters on his hands did the pain over the rest of Van's body register; the right bicep which had cramped up in the middle of the match, the right hamstring that he pulled in the first five minutes of the contest, and his hands and forearms which throbbed from the strain of their owner wielding his sword so tightly for so long. He looked with shock over at Allen who showed the same stunned expression. In the Knight's case, in addition to his hands and forearms screaming in pain, his back which he twisted not once but three times during the match and his left hamstring which he pulled were all letting him know just how much he had abused them. 

As the medical attendants rushed up to them they quickly poured clean water over their wounds then poured alcohol to disinfect. If the alcohol on their open wounds caused the men any pain, they refused to show it, having steeled themselves once again to the suffering. Quickly but carefully the attendants bandaged their hands, bowed respectfully and left the field. Allen prepared to follow them off when Sir Stanley stopped him. "The Queen wishes for you to remain on the field." He informed the younger Knight.

Allen nodded and remained, standing just a few feet from Van. Turning to the young King he said. "Congratulations Van. That was an amazing demonstration you put on. You've truly become a master swordsman."

"Thank you Allen, but the demonstration was not mine alone. I understand now why you're regarded as the finest swordsman in all of Gaea." Van replied.

"A title that is rightly yours now." The Knight added.

"I fought not for this title but rather for the honor of my love, Hitomi Kanzaki." The King countered, running his hand over the handkerchief that was still secured to his sword.

Confusion crossed the Knight's face once again as he asked. "What do you mean by that and what is the significance of that cloth?" 

Van thought for a long moment then gave a half grin and said, "You'll have to ask Hitomi to explain it clearly but Hitomi asked that I fight to preserve her honor and this handkerchief was a symbol of that honor and her favor towards me." 

"I see." Allen said. _'Smart girl.'_

Both men turned their attention to the entryway from where the royal vassals began unrolling the royal carpet for the arrival of the Queen.

As the carpet reached its end the two warriors stepped onto it and bowed down onto one knee both grimacing in pain in the process as they waited for the arrival of the Queen.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: MAN! What that long. J But I think it was worth it. ^__^ I hope you agree. It was going to be longer but I decided to place Millerna's words of praise and Van returning the favor to Hitomi in the next chapter. It should be much shorter but very sweet. J I hope you liked the fight. I built it up so much, I'm afraid it may turn out to be a let down. I didn't put as much detail in the actual attacks because I wanted to convey a sense of speed. Swords flying so fast its seems but a blur to the naked eye. I hope I got that sense across.

Okay, now before all the women that read is story chastise me for calling women frail, I'm not saying all women are frail but rather the ones that were, and were in attendance at the arena passed out. ^_^

Again, thanks for the warm comments. I really do appreciate them.

A. Amishi

PS: Just 6 more days till ACEN'03!!!!!! ^__________^


	29. Symbol of my True Love's Favor

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 29

In the Great Arena

---

As Millerna prepared to walk out onto the tournament field she turned to Hitomi who was standing towards the back of her entourage. "Hitomi." She gestured for the teen to come over to her. "I want you here at my left." The queen gestured a step or two behind her much like Eries was on her right. 

"Ah, but Your Majesty, why should I be given such a place of honor?" The teen asked, clearly embarrassed by the attention she was receiving be the other members of the queen's entourage. 

"Because you're a representative of Fanelia and King Van's honored guest." She smiled warmly then turned and began walking down the carpet onto the field. 

Princess Eries turned and followed her younger sister without hesitation.

"Oh my." Hitomi gasped as her pause caused her to fall a step behind which she quickly recovered. 

As they walked out onto the field the applause that still continued for the two combatants grew even louder with the appearance of the young queen. Hitomi looked about and was overwhelmed at the size of the arena as seen from the field. Then she looked forward and saw Van and Allen kneeling at the end of the carpet, their heads bowed in respect to the approaching monarch. She smiled to herself as her heart filled with pride for the man she loved. _'You did it Van. You really did it. I'm so proud of you.'_ Her smile found its way out onto her face as she beamed with pride and love.

As they approached to two men, Queen Millerna stopped along with her entourage. She raised her hands in a gesture to get the crowds to quiet down, which they did instantly. Then she addressed the Knight. "Arise Sir Allen Schezar, Asturia's Knight of Heaven." 

Allen got to his feet slowly and with some effort then walked over to his queen and kneeled down again before her. "Yes My Queen."

"Sir Allen, you have represented Asturia well. Your demonstration of master swordsmanship was a marvel to behold. You are truly the finest swordsman in all of Asturia." To this statement, the audience applauded enthusiastically. "Please receive this amulet as a symbol of your kingdom's gratitude in participating in this tournament." She placed the amulet around his neck.

"Thank you My Queen." He rose and stepped back to his prior position. 

"Lord Van, King of Fanelia, would you please step forward?" The Queen asked.

Van rose with a strained look on his face then walked over and began to kneel once more, but Millerna reached out her hand to stop him. 

"Lord Van, please, stand before me as an equal." She stated.

Van straightened then bowed respectfully. He stared at the Queen without a hint of emotion until out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Hitomi standing to the left of the Queen. His heart filled with warmth as a small hint of a smile crept its way onto his face.

This did not go unnoticed by Hitomi or the Queen. Addressing her friend she went on, "Lord Van, I thank you for participating in this tournament and for your triumphant effort. Never before has a swordsman outside the boarders of Asturia demonstrated such skill and ability in this arena. Any kingdom would be honored to call Fanelia an alley. I am especially honored to be able to call you both alley and friend." She curtsied before the King. Then she continued. "Please accept this as a symbol of our friendship and respect." Receiving an amulet with the crest of Asturia from one of her servants, she placed it around Van's neck. 

Van bowed, "Thank you Your Majesty." 

In bowing a second time Princess Eries took notice of the delicate fabric tied to the end of the King's sword. She took a half step forward and whispered in her sister's ear then stepped back.

Looked at the sword, Millerna smiled. "Tell me King Van, that handkerchief at the end of your sword. What significance does it hold?" She asked with a smile.

Van's expression grew very serious for a moment then a simple smile appeared. "It is a symbol of my true love's favor. She gave it to me and asked that I fight to preserve her honor. To this end I dedicated myself to this match." He answered.

Hitomi's cheeks began to burn.

The arena filled with the mumbling of the crowd as the old remorse started up again. 

Millerna smiled, "Perhaps it is time now to return the favor to your true love, now that you have ensured her honor." 

Van considered her words for a moment then bowed his head, "Excuse me Your Majesty." He said as he walked over to Hitomi. Seeing this the crowds gasped in surprise.

In her seat in the royal seating area Merle looked on as her heart sank. _'What are you two doing? … I can't take this anymore.'_ She stood up and turned to the minister. "Sir Charson, I'm going to get something to eat from one of the food venders. I'll be right back." She smiled and left the area. Once in the outer hall she found the nearest pillar and leaned against it, slowly sliding down until she was sitting on the floor. She wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face in her arms.

Standing in front of Hitomi, Van undid the bow that held the material to his sword then went down on one knee, holding the object up his love. "I have done as you requested of my Lady Hitomi. I have defended your honor and now return to you the favor as a symbol of my love and faithfulness." 

Hitomi's heart was racing and she knew she must have been the brightest shade of red ever. She reached out with trembling hands and placed them on either side of his and said. "Thank you my Lord and King. No woman could ask for more." She thought for a moment of what she should do or say next. There really was only one thing she wanted to do at that moment more than anything else in the world. "Arise my King and receive the gift for preserving my honor."

Van rose to his feet and Hitomi stepped forward, placing her hand on his cheek, she gently caressed it as she lifted herself onto her toes to draw her lips close to his. Without hesitation, the King wrapped his arms around her and tilted his head to meet her kiss. The crowd gasped even louder then was silent in shock. The silence was finally broken when the Queen began to applaud. Shortly there after Allen then Eries and the rest of the queen's entourage followed suit. Eventually the entire arena filled with the approving applause of those in attendance. 

Everyone except Merle, who sat alone weeping in the outer hall, "You promised Hitomi. You promised not to make a public show of your love for Lord Van. You promised."

The kiss lasted several minutes and as they kissed, Hitomi wept tears of joy. While this kiss was not the awe-inspiring kiss of the other night, it was warm and loving and somehow familiar. In it was the love and the trust they shared and the assurance that now all of Gaea knew of their love. No rumors to the contrary would ever again rear their ugly heads to serve as a seed of doubt between them. 

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Hope you liked this. I wanted a way for Millerna to put an end to the rumors about her and Van and this provided her that means. Not that she was trying to be manipulative and all, she just saw an opportunity and took it, trusting in the love between Van and Hitomi. This ends the saga at the arena. They'll be setting sail soon to face yet another predicted danger. Unfortunately, this is probably my last chapter till after ACEN. I want to get at last one more chapter in on my Eva/Dual and OLS fics before the con so I won't have time for another chapter here before then. But rest assured, I will continue next week. 

Thank you all so much for your responses to my last chapter. I was really worried about that one. I read/edited it so many times it kind of lost its impact on me so I was really worried that it was going to come across flat. I'm so glad you all liked it. I guess maybe I'm a better action writer than I thought, but don't worry, I won't let it go to my head. ^_^

Oh, just to clarify, because I thing there may be some out there that think otherwise, I am a guy, and a hopeless romantic as well. ^_^ But that part I'm sure you all already knew. ^____^

By the way, I've been playing around with the idea for another Escaflowne fic and I thought, I'd pass it by you all to see what you think. Not to worry, I won't start it till I'm either done with this one or very near done. My idea actually is an Escaflowne/Lodoss War crossover, where the island continent of Lodoss is actually on Gaea but separated so long ago that almost everyone on the rest of Gaea had all but forgotten about it. While at sea, Van/Hitomi/Merle/Allen/Millerna get shipwrecked on Lodoss and meet Parn and Deedlit. The free knight and his companion try to help our Esca heroes return home but then a new danger threatens the accursed island and all must fight. I must admit that Record of Lodoss War (OAV) is actually my second favorite anime, ahead of Escaflowne. I've always been a big sword and sorcery fan. The more I've thought of this the more I like it. It won't be a sequel to this story but some elements that will come about in this story will carryover to that one, if I end up doing it. Let me know what you think, please.

A. Amishi

PS: Just 4 more days till ACEN'03!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_____________^

As you can see from the above PS, I had intended on posting this several days ago but I held off because I got a new beta-reader (not that I had an old beta-reader before). And I've been waiting for him to return this chapter with his corrections but at this point, time is running short and since both he and I will be at ACEN this weekend, I know he won't be sending me anything over the weekend. So I decided to go ahead and post this chapter already. Hopefully, I'll be reloading several of my chapters soon with the necessary grammatical and spelling corrections. I've already writing the next chapter but it's a little rough so I'll post it after ACEN. Sorry for the long delay. And thank you for your patience.


	30. Worth the Pain

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 30

At the Palace in Palas, two days after the tournament

---

In the garden behind the palace, Van and Hitomi sat on the lush grass as Hitomi undid the bandages on Van's hands. 

"Oh my gosh! Their raw." She began undoing the other hand. "This one is even worse. And Allen's hands were the same?" She looked up to see Van nod. Shaking her head in disbelief she chastised him. "I can't believe you two went so for. Didn't it hurt at all during the match?"

Van shook his head with a faint smile.

"I can't believe it. Why would you go so far? It wasn't worth it." She stated.

"Yes." He said plainly causing her so gasp slightly and look up at him again. "It was worth it. It was your honor I was fighting for. No price is too great."

"Oh Van." She looked back down at his hands, her cheeks turning a bright red.

Having taken the old bandages completely off she balled them up and stuffed them in the sack she had just pulled out a fresh pair from. Grabbing the bottle of disinfectant she asked. "Do they hurt?"

The king simply shook his head.

"Really?" She replied skeptically as she poured the liquid onto his hands. 

Flinching slightly and drawing in a quick breath, the king let an embarrassed smile cross his face, "Well, maybe just a little."

"Hmm." She smiled back at him, her skepticism still in tact. Closing the bottle, she grabbed one of the bandages and carefully wrapped his hand right hand once again then his left. 

"There, all done." She smiled and leaned downward she placed a gentle kiss on the palm of each hand.

"Thank you Hitomi." He reached up with his right hand and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers as he gazed into her eyes. Slowly her smile faded as they just sat in the midst of the garden, searching and finding each other's soul. 

In her room on the third floor of the palace, Merle stepped away from the window, which gave her a clear view of the garden and lay down on her bed. Pulling the top pillow into her arms, quiet tears slowly rolled down the side of her face. "You promised Hitomi, you promised." She repeated to herself as she tried to force herself to fall asleep.

Later that night, on the roof of the palace, Van stood with Hitomi in his arms, her back pressed up against him and her arms over his, as they looked out over the city. 

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She asked.

"Mmm hmm" was his only response as he tightened his hold around her just slightly.

Looking up at the moons she asked, "Van, has the moon been rising from the horizon or lowering?"

"Lowering, why?"

"It's still too high. We need to stay a few more days, maybe a week. Then everything will be alright." She stated.

"That's impossible, we leave the day after tomorrow." He told her.

"What?" She turned around in his arms. "But we can't. It's too dangerous." She warned.

"What are you talking about?" He looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Don't you remember? My vision. If we're at sea when the moon hangs low on the horizon we'll get caught by a terrible storm. We need to wait till the moon hangs low here, by then the storm will have passed and we'll be safe." She explained to him.

He shook his head. "But the store holds on the ships are all but full and most of what we have is perishable. If we wait a week, it will rot before we reach Fanelia. We'll just have to take our chances with the storm." He pulled her close to him, running his fingers through her hair and resting his cheek atop her head. "Don't worry, I'll protect you… and Merle. I won't let anything happen to the two of you." 

Wrapping her arms around him she sighed softly and closed her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the feel of his touch. _'I hope you're right Van. I hope you're right.'_

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I know it's shorter than usual but it's just a bridge to get them to the ship and heading back to Fanelia. I was just looking back at chapter 6 where Hitomi had her vision and I read my AN there as well. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that the journey back from Asturia would be just 6 or 7 chapters from then. ^_^ Though I must admit, there were things I've added to the story that I didn't originally intend to have in it. But that's the wonderful thing about writing fiction. You can add or delete what ever you want as long is it feels right. There will probably be one more chapter before they board the ship to take them back to Fanelia. They have to say goodbye to all their friends of course. ^_^

As always, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your comments and reviews. You help keep me inspired. 

A. Amishi

PS: ACEN'03 was great!!!! I had a wonderful time. If you haven't gone to an anime convention yet, I strongly suggest you find the closest one to you and go. They may not all be as awesome as ACEN but unless it is a total fiasco, I'm sure you'll have a great time. ^_^


	31. The Power to Inspire a King

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 31

At the Palace in Palas, in the Queen's private dinning room

---

As they sat down to enjoy a final meal with Queen Millerna, Princess Eries, Prince Chid and Sir Allen Schezar before leaving for Fanelia the next day, King Van Fanel, Sir Charson, Lady Hitomi Kanzaki and Merle each raised their glasses and toasted their hostess. 

The conversation during dinner was light and lively as much of it centered around the tournament and especially the match between Van and Allen.

"You know Van, you've done my kingdom a great disservice." Millerna teased.

"How so?" Van replied not understanding what she was referring to.

"For years now, Asturia has had the reputation of having the finest knights in all of Gaea. Now that you've defeated Allen, the best of our best, other kingdoms may start getting the idea they can challenge that reputation as well." She smiled.

"Well, I'm sure Allen and the other Knights of Heaven would welcome the opportunity to prove the reputation is well deserved." Van answered back with a grin. "Am I correct in my assumption Allen?"

The knight smiled as he took a sip of his wine. "Perhaps you did do us a greater service by beating me. Now maybe the knights of the other kingdoms won't be so reluctant to participate in the next tournament."

"I don't know about that." Prince Chid said. "If anything, I think perhaps even your own knights will think twice before even considering a challenge to either Allen Schezar or Van Fanel. I may be young and I may not have seen nearly the number of tournament fights as the rest of you but unless the two of you plan to make your fights a regular occurrence, I don't expect I will be witnessing a match like that ever again. It was truly amazing."

"Yes." Agreed Hitomi. "Compared to the young knights who fought before you, it was like they were fighting in slow motion."

"Agreed." Charson replied. "Lord Van, I've seen you fight many battles and train with our new knights in order to rebuild our army over the past six months but I've never seen you fight at that level. Not to sound like a kiss-ass my Lord but your were amazing." 

Everyone laughed hardily at the minister's statement.

After getting his laughter under control, Van replied. "Don't worry Charson, we've had too many battles over our kingdom's trade policies to ever consider you a kiss-ass." 

This elicited another round of laughter.

As the laughter died down, Van continued. "Actually, you're right. I know I fought over my head. Thinking back on the match now, I know I would have lost rather quickly had it not been for my source of inspiration." The king reached over and placed his hand over Hitomi's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

The teen smiled at the king then quickly glanced around the table to see all eyes on her. She blushed timidly and took a quick drink to hide her embarrassment. 

Raising her glass, Princess Eries offered a toast. "To Lady Hitomi, the woman with the power to inspire a king."

All the others raised their glasses and replied. "To Lady Hitomi."

This just caused the teen to turn a deeper shade of red as she took another drink then hiccupped. _'Oh no, not again.'_ She gave a silly grin and went right on drinking as she looked over at Van then down at their hands. Slowly she turned her hand over, palm up, and squeezed his hand back. 

While Merle raised her glass during the toast, she remained silent, a look of deep sadness filling her expression. An expression that remained unnoticed by everyone at the table but the queen.

As the topic of conversation changed and the evening went on, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves thoroughly, except for Merle who remained melancholy throughout the evening. 

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, this chapter was going to be longer but I was on my fifth page and didn't like the way I was ending it so I decided it needed more but I felt it was already getting too long so I decided to split the chapter. That means they don't head out to sea till the 33 chapter. 

By the way, it was so wonderful to come back from ACEN and fine so many reviews waiting for me. You guys make my day. 

A. Amishi


	32. It's Just Not Fair

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 32

At the Palace in Palas

--- 

As Van and Hitomi walked down the hallway toward her room, one arm around her waist to help support her weight and the other hand on her arm to provide extra balance, he looked at the inebriated form in his arms and smiled.

"I'm sorry Van. I didn't mean to get drunk. Really. This is so embarrassing." She said as she stumbled for the tenth time. 

Almost loosing her this time, the king decided to take matters into his own hands, literally, as he scooped her up in his arms. "There we go." He smiled at her. "Don't worry about it Hitomi. I'm sure, no one noticed." He said as he continued down the hallway.

"Do you really think so?" She looked up at him with a hopeful stared. "No, you're just teasing me. Of course everyone knew I was drunk. It's so embarrassing." She buried her cheek into his chest.

"I must say, I've never seen anyone get so drunk from just one glass of wine." He admitted. "I'll have to remember to tell the servants to only serve you new wine from now on." He grinned.

"Mmm, knowing me, I'd probably get drunk from that as well. Better just make it water." She mumbled as she eyes flickered shut and her breathing grew heavy and regular. 

Van smiled down at her as he stopped for just a moment, long enough to kiss her on the forehead. Then he proceeded to her room. Once in the room he set her down gently on her bed and slipped off her shoes. Looking at her sleeping peacefully he smiled once again when a thought occurred to him. "She can't be comfortable sleeping in that dress." He stepped forward, ready to undo the garment then hesitated. "No, probably not the best idea." He turned towards the door and thought. Then he walked out to the room next door. Knocking on the door, he said. "Merle, I need your help." But there was no response. Reaching for the door handle, he opened the door and stepped in only to find the room empty and the bed still made.

"That's odd. She left dinner early because she said she was tired and wanted to go to sleep." Not giving it any more thought, he walked back into Hitomi's room and pulled the servants cord. 

A few minutes later, the teen's three handmaidens showed up. They bowed respectfully, the oldest one asking. "How may we be of service to you King Fanel?"

Gesturing toward the bed, Van said, "The Lady Hitomi has fallen asleep. Help her out of her dress and under the covers without waking her."

"Yes my Lord. Anything else." She asked.

"No that will be all. Thank you." He replied.

"It is our pleasure my Lord." She assured him bowing once again.

He nodded and left.

Quickly and skillfully, the three girls undid Hitomi's dress and slipped it off her then one of them retrieved a nightgown so they decided to remove the rest of her undergarments as well and place her in her nightgown. Afterward, two of them gently sat her up as the third pulled down the sheets. They laid her back down and pulled the sheets past her legs then covered her with them. 

"Sleep well Ma'Lady." The three said in unison then they turned and left the room.

Van walked out onto the roof and toward the ledge overlooking the city. 

Merle sat on the rooftop staring at the stars but looked down to see Van walking to the ledge when she heard his foot falls. _'I should leave. I don't think I can take anymore of those two together right now.' _She started leaning forward in order to stand up when she noticed no one else was coming up on the roof. She waited a few minute before saying. "So where's Hitomi, Lord Van?"

Van turned around and looked at the rooftop. "Merle." He paused a moment before answering. "She was tired. She went to sleep." 

__

'More like drunk I bet.' "I see." She said.

"What about you? I thought you were tired and were going to bed early?" Van asked.

"Hmm, yeah, well, I guess I wasn't as tired as I thought." She scratched the back of her head and grinned.

"I see." Van replied as he turned back to look out over the city.

After several minutes of silence, Merle let out a quiet sigh and jumped down from the rooftop. As she turned to walk down the stairs, she heard Lord Van call out to her. "Merle?"

She stopped as her ears perked up. "Yes Lord Van." 

"Can I ask you a question?"

She spring over to him and took a seat on the guard wall. "Ask away Lord Van." She smiled.

"If I ask Hitomi to stay this time, do you think she will? If I ask her to be my queen, do you think she'd marry me?" He asked, never taking his eyes off the distant sea that lay on the other side of the city.

Merle's heart sank as she closed her eyes and did her best to fight back the tears. After not receiving an answer for several minutes, Van looked over at her. "Merle?"

Not wanting him to see her like this she turned her back to him and looked up at the stars. Then answered. "I told you before Lord Van. You love her and she loves you. She'd be crazy not to want to marry you. But I don't know if she'd be willing to do that right now."

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because people in her world do thinks differently. Millerna is about the same age as Hitomi, and she's already a queen but from what Hitomi told me before, she's still in school and won't finish school for a few more years. She seems to feel that this is still something very important for her to do." Merle explained.

"But if she stays here in Gaea, she won't have to worry about schooling." Van countered.

Merle paused a moment longer then went on. "Though I don't remember much about my family or my village, I do remember a saying I heard my father tell my older brother many times. He used to say, you can take the cat out of the forest but you can't take the forest out of the cat."

"Hmm." Van answered.

"Mmm, as much as she loves you and believe me Lord Van, she does love you. I don't know if she's ready to leave them behind, at least not yet. Perhaps in a few years, when she's finished school and is ready to leave her family and start life out on her own. Then maybe she'll be willing to come to Gaea permanently." She finished. "That is assuming you'll be willing to wait that long for her." She added, listening very carefully for his answer.

Without hesitation Van replied. "I'd wait all eternity for her if I had to."

Merle made no visible movement from what Van could see as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut trying to stop the stream of tears rolling down her face. She forced a fake yawn and stretched her arms out over her head. "I guess I must be getting tired now. Well, goodnight Lord Van. I hope you sleep well." She scooted off the wall and headed for the stairs taking care to only show Van her back. She was staring down at the floor as she walked so he didn't notice the person standing at the doorway until she was almost upon her. She gave a small gasp when she noticed her, and quickly bowed low. "Sorry my Queen. I was just going to bed now. Goodnight." And she walked past Millerna.

"Goodnight Merle, pleasant dreams." The queen replied. _'Though I doubt you'll be having any of those anytime soon.'_ She looked on sadly as the catgirl walked past.

Facing forward once more, she saw Van looking at her. She smiled and walked up to him. 

"How long were you there?" He asked.

"Long enough to hear you say you plan to ask Hitomi to marry you." She answered.

"You know you really should give this roof a name. Perhaps, eavesdroppers paradise." He teased.

"Perhaps you're right." She teased back.

"So what do you think? Do you think she'll want to wait like Merle believes or will she accept my offer and be my bride?" He asked.

Millerna walked past Van and turned to lean against the low wall. "It's difficult to say. Matters of the heart are hard to judge and when it comes to Hitomi, it's even more so. She can be very impulsive at times but over all she is very well grounded. She doesn't seek her identity in others like I did but she does want to be loved. Just as we all do." 

"That doesn't answer my question." Van pointed out.

Millerna gave a coy smile. "No, it doesn't. And the only way you'll truly get an answer to your question is if you ask her." 

Van gave her a teasing glare. "Millerna, every the diplomat."

"It comes with the crown." She smiled back.

They remained silent for several minutes when a very serious expression crossed over Millerna's face. "Van, have you considered the consequences of marrying Hitomi?" 

"Consequences?" Van looked over at her.

"Well, you are the most eligible monarch in Gaea. If you haven't already received offers of alliance through marriage, I'm sure you will soon. How will some of your prospective alleys respond if you choose to marry someone from another world who can bring you no political or economic gain?" She asked.

"Millerna, I'm surprised you of all people would suggest I marry for political gain." He responded angrily.

"That's not what I'm saying. I would never suggest such a thing. All I am saying is are you ready to handle the repercussions, and believe me there will be repercussions, if you do marry Hitomi." She clarified.

After considering her words, the king replied. "My father was in a similar position and chose to follow his heart and married a draconian, my mother. Am I any less a man than my father?"

Millerna smiled again. "Merle is right. Hitomi would be a fool not to want to marry you. And I don't believe her to be a fool." She stood up straight, stepped over to him and kissed Van on the cheek. "Goodnight King Van."

Van smiled back. "Goodnight Queen Millerna. Sleep well."

With that the queen headed down to her chambers. A few minutes later the king of Fanelia did the same. 

~~~

It took Merle nearly two hours to cry herself to sleep and for the next three hours she slept peacefully until she started dreaming. It was an old dream, one she cherished and held onto fondly for many years. In her dream she was seventeen, past the age of progression. She was a woman now, strong and beautiful. In her dream she wore a long white gown and vale, and held in her hands a bouquet of white roses. She stood at the altar of the grand cathedral in Fanelia and beside her was Van in his finest dress armor. The bishop spoke words of union and commitment but she heard none of them. She was lost in her lover's eyes. She said the words she was supposed to say and performed the rituals that were required in a marriage but it was all a blur. The only words she heard clearly were his instructions to Van, "You may kiss your bride."

With that her king lifted her vale and leaned forward to press his lips to hers. She closed her eyes but this time it was different. In times past, she would swear she actually felt Van's lips press up against hers. When she was younger, sometimes the sensation was so strong that it woke her and she would slip out of her room and head to Van's room just to make sure he hadn't slipped out and actually kissed her during the night. To her inevitable disappointment, she always found him fast asleep. But this time she felt no such pressure on her lips and as she opened her eyes she found she was no longer standing next to her true love but instead was in the first pew watching Van kissing Hitomi who was now in the long white gown. 

"NOOOO!!!" She screamed as she shot up right in her bed. It took her several minutes to get her breathing under control. _'Just a dream. That's all it was, just a dream.'_ "But for how much longer." She sank back into her bed and sighed. "Damn you Hitomi. Now you even invade my dreams." She pulled her pillow out from under her head and clutched it to her chest. "Why couldn't you let me have Lord Van for just a few more years? Why'd you have to steal his heart away so soon?" She sighed once again. "If I were past the age of progression, I might have stood a chance. I might have been able to compete against you for Lord Van's affections but now. He still sees me as a child." Her tears began falling again. "It's not fair. It's just not fair."

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: B_R my friend, this angst's for you. ^.^ I know, not much V/H in this one but in the overall scheme of things, Merle does play an important part. And the title of the story doesn't only refer to V/H's love for each other. Well, the voyage home starts in the next chapter. I hope to have it posted before the end of the week but we shall see. Hope you liked this chapter. 

A. Amishi


	33. Congratulations

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 33

At the Port of Palas in Asturia

---

King Van and his party stood near the pier as final supplies were rushed aboard The Lady Vari. They had said their goodbyes to Chid and Millerna back at the palace; Chid was staying on with his aunts for another week before returning home to Freid. Here they were saying their goodbyes to Allen, Celena and Eries. 

"When will you be visiting us again Lord Van?" A smitten Celena asked with a smile.

Van smiled back. "Unfortunately, I don't suspect I'll be back anytime soon." He gently rubbed the back of her hand with his palm while holding it in his other hand.

"Oh," she replied with a hint of sadness before brightening up again. "Well, I guess I'll just have to get my brother to take me to see you then." 

"I'd like that." Van replied.

"You would?" The knight's sister responded enthusiastically.

"Yes, my young knights could use some training from the likes of Allen Schezar." Van smiled widely while Allen struggled to keep from laughing.

"Oh Lord Van, why must you tease me so?" The young woman from Asturia asked.

"Why Celena, what do you mean?" The king asked innocently.

"Forget it Celena," Merle said through narrowed eyes. "Lord Van's heart is already taken or did you miss what happened at the tournament four days ago." She glanced none too kindly at Hitomi before turning around. "I've said my goodbyes, I'll see you on the ship." She said to no one in particular as she string up the pier to the ship.

__

'Oh Merle, I'm sorry. I broke my promise to you didn't I… and not just once. Please forgive me but you must understand how Van and I feel for each other.' She thought as she stared after the catgirl.

"Will she be alright?" Eries asked. 

"I'm sure she will. She just needs time." Van answered.

"I hope you're right." Hitomi whispered then looked up and seeing Eries standing in front of her she remembered. "Oh, Princess Eries," she reached into her pocket and pulled out the handkerchief. "I believe this is yours." She held it out for the princess to take. 

Eries took it for a moment but after looking at it carefully she handed it back. "You keep it Hitomi. Let it remind you of how you inspired a king once." She said with a smile.

Hitomi smiled back. "Thank you Princess. Thank you very much." 

Sir Charson who had been on the ship just a moment earlier walked up to his king and informed him. "All is ready my Lord. We can depart as soon as you board."

"Very well." The king replied.

"Well Allen," He extended his hand to shake the knight's. "It was good to see you again. I really enjoy our battles."

"As do I Van, as do I. Have a safe journey home." Allen replied.

"Goodbye again Princess Eries." Hitomi said, extended her hand but the princess gently took the teen by the shoulders and pulled her into an embrace, kissing her on the cheek. 

"Farewell Hitomi and take care." The princess replied. Van and Eries shared a similar farewell. 

Then Van turned to Celena, taking her hands into his he leaned forward and place a small kiss on her forehead. "Farewell Celena, and" He whispered into her ear. "Good luck and congratulations." 

She smiled up at him. "Thank you Lord Van, have a pleasant journey home."

Hitomi and Celena did much the same as the two teens hugged and kissed each other on the cheek Hitomi whispered the same thing into her ear and Celena thanked her for it.

Allen pulled Hitomi into a warm embrace and kissed her atop her head. "Take good care of yourself, and Van." He smiled.

She smiled back. "I will." Then the couple turned and headed up the pier.

As the two young people in love walked the length of the pier to the ship, Allen leaned over to Celena and asked. "What was all that about?"

"All what?" She gave one last wave goodbye, never taking her eyes off the young couple.

"Now who's playing coy?" Allen asked.

"Why brother, I have no idea what you're talking about." She replied looking at him with a straight face.

He studied her features for a moment then nodded his head. "Right, sure." Then gesturing to the waiting carriage he said, "Well ladies, shall we go?" Eries nodded and the knight proceeded to open the carriage door and assist the two women in. Closing the door securely he went and mounted his stallion as they made their way back to the palace. 

"So what did they say?" Eries asked. 

"They wished me luck and congratulated me on my attempt to be named a Lady of the Court." Celena answered.

"Well, no need for luck but I suppose congratulations are in order." Eries smiled.

"Princess?" The teen gave her a confused look.

"Your test took place during the week of the coronation festival. What better time to determine if you are truly ready to perform the duties of a Lady of the Court but when all the rulers of Gaea are present."

"And how did I do?" The teen asked with no small degree of trepidation. 

The princess smiled. "I did say congratulations were in order, did I not? You will be presented as a Lady of the Court to the Palace assembly next week."

"Thank you Princess Eries." The teen bowed barely able to contain her excitement.

"Don't thank me. You earned this position. You've worked very heard, doubly so in trying to keep Allen from finding out and you've performed every task superbly. The palace is fortunate to have you Celena." The princess assured her.

Aboard The Lady Vari

---

They had only set sail an hour earlier but already the view of Palas was long gone. 

"I didn't think we'd lose sight of Palas so soon." Hitomi said looked back from whence they came.

"The winds are with us, we should make it back to Fanelia in half the time it took us to get to Palas." Van informed her.

Turning around she looked about the ship. "Where's Merle?"

"Down below I suspect." He answered.

"I should go talk to her." She stared to walk away but Van grabbed her by the wrist.

"Give her some time. Besides if she stays moody for the trip maybe she won't come up during the storm and she'll remain safe." He reasoned.

Thinking about it for a minute, Hitomi wasn't entirely convinced but nodded in agreement anyway as she allowed him to pull her into his arms, her back against his chest and his arms around her waist. "Mmm, I think I like this."

"I'm glad. I know I do." He said with a smile as they stood on the quarterdeck looking out at the horizon.

~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry to say this will be my last update… till next week. Hehehe. Sorry, just couldn't resist. ^_^

I've got some home remodeling to do this weekend and a bbq to go to on Sunday, so no time to write. Believe me, I'd rather stay home and write. Someday, I'll find a way to make a living doing this. ^_^ If it weren't for all my bills, I'd sit in front of my computer all day long and write. 

Anyway, I wanted to respond to some of the comments I've received. First off, no apologize necessary if you thought I was a female. To tell you the truth, after re-reading my own work sometimes I kinda get the feeling that yeah, that would be an easy assumption to make sometimes. As for Hitomi's very proper behavior and speech during the tournament, I may have gone too far with that but I was kind of thinking like … well, have you ever gone someplace where everyone around you speaks in a different accent than you. And after awhile if you're around them constantly, you start picking it up yourself. Not just the accent but they way the speak as well. That was kind of what I was going for there. Also, just like when Hitomi attended dinner with Van and all his ministers early in this story, she purposefully tried to speak in a very proper, dignified manner. Kind of wanting to prove that she belongs so as not to get people talking about how could the king be interested in such an unrefined wench. Hope the argument holds water for you.

A. Amishi


	34. White Squall

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 34

Third day at sea

---

Hitomi stood along the starboard side of the Lady Vari searching for the twin moons of Gaea. While the seas had been calm the past three days, the skies had been overcast so she hadn't been able to track the course of the moons. This, along with Merle's refusal to talk to her had the teen from the Mystic Moon a little on edge. The last thing she wanted was to hurt her friend's feelings and the last thing he wanted to have happen to her friend was anything that would endanger her life. She had already failed on the first and she was determined to see that the second didn't happen as well. But the skies were not cooperating. She could not tell if the storm she had previously predicted was days or perhaps only hours away. 

__

'Without the moons to use as a reference, I have no idea when the storm will arrive.' She sighed in frustration.

"Thirsty?" A familiar voice asked.

Turning she saw Van smiled down at her holding a glass of water. "Thank you." She accepted the glass and took a sip.

"Still trying to find the moons?" He inquired.

She just nodded and looked out over the horizon once again. "How is Merle doing?"

"Well, I finally got her to eat something today." He admitted. "I never thought getting Merle to eat could be such a choir." 

"It's all my fault. I promised to keep my feelings for you in check out in public and what do I do? I kiss you in front of thousands of people, not to mention Merle. Some friend I am." 

"Don't do this to yourself Hitomi." Van told her. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"But I promised…" She tried to reason.

Grabbing her by the shoulders, he turned the girl to make her face him. "Do you love me?"

She gasped. "Of course I do Van. You know I love you."

"And I love you Hitomi. What happened between us was inevitable. There was nothing you could do to prevent it. It was going to happen sooner or later." He pulled her into an embrace. "Merle is just going to have to learn how to except it. She already said she has but she's just been fooling herself. It won't be easy for her but I know Merle. She'll get through it."

Lifting he head to look into Van's eyes, she responded. "How can you be so harsh? Don't you care what happens to Merle?"

"Of course I care. Merle and I have been together for nearly as long as I can remember." He told her. "But I'm not about to hide my feelings for you, not for Merle's sake, not for anyone's sake."

Hitomi rested the side of her face on his chest and closed her eyes. "I suppose you're right. I just feel like I've betrayed my friendship with her is all." 

"You did what you could for as long as you could. No one can ask more." 

Smiling to herself, she tightened her hold on him. "When did you become so very wise my King?"

Van smiled, kissed to top of her head and rested his cheek upon it. "Comes with the title."

They stood there in silence for several minutes before Van spoke. "There they are."

"What?" She whispered.

"The moons of Gaea." He clarified.

Hitomi spun around in his arms to see what he was looking at. Sure enough, the clouds cleared just enough to make the two moons of Gaea visible low along the horizon. "Oh my god… it's coming. It's coming any minute now." Turning to face the king once again, she spoke with the utmost urgency. "It's coming! We've got to get the ships ready for the storm now!"

"Are you sure?" He looked up at the sky and at the calm waters. "Perhaps we missed the storm already."

"No Van. Trust me, its coming. It may be too late already." She warned, her eyes pleading for his trust.

Looking into her eyes, he knew from experience not to question her any further. "Very well, go down below. I'll warn the captain and have him notify the other ships as well."

She nodded her agreement and she started heading down to her quarters, two decks below. Van ran up to the quarterdeck to warn the ship's master. 

"Storm?" The captain looked all about. "I'm afraid your Majesty must be suffering from nightmares. These seas are as calm as newborn baby calf. There hasn't been a storm in these waters in…" The captain's words dead in his mouth as a strong warm wind blew across the ship. "Maybe you're right your Majesty." Turning to his first officer he commanded. "Number One, send a message to the other ships. Tell them to batten down the hatches and prepare for a storm."

"Captain?" The first-mate give his commander a questioning stare.

"A White Squall is coming." Explained the captain then yelled out to the rest of his men. "Batten down the hatches, secure the rigging; we're in for a real blow boys." 

~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, I didn't end up working on the bedroom. Instead we worked on the front and back yard. I hate gardening. But what the taskmaster (I mean my wife) wants she gets. ^_^ BBQ wasn't bad. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and for those of you in the states, like me, I hope you had an enjoyable Memorial Day. Updates may be coming a little slow for a while but I promise to do at least one per week. I'll try to do more but I've got a lot on my plate right now, including editing a few stories that I'll be adding to my website soon. 

As always, thank you for your comments and words of encouragement. I hope you enjoy these next few chapters. 

A. Amishi


	35. MERLE! NOOO!

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 35

Third day at sea

---

Just as Hitomi had predicted, a hellish storm struck the small merchant fleet. Thirty-five foot waves crashed over the deck, as the men struggled frantically to secure the sails. All but one had been tied down but in the midst of the storm, all efforts to secure the last were proving futile. Van stayed on deck to assist the seaman, despite their insistence that he go below for his own safety. 

In her quarters, Hitomi sat at the edge of her bed, her hands clasped together tightly and her eyes barely open as visions of Van assisting the sailors appeared in her mind's eye. Images of him working with the seaman to gather up the last sail, a sailor being blown off the main yard and Van diving to grab hold of him before he went overboard, Van tying the last sail to the main yard. Suddenly, Merle burst into her room causing the teen to jump in fright. 

"IS HE HERE! TELL ME LORD VAN IS HERE!" She yelled looking around frantically.

"Merle! No, Van is on deck helping the men secure the ship." Hitomi told her. "But don't worry, he's alright."

But before she could tell the catgirl anything more, she was off and running. Suddenly the image appeared clear as day to her; Merle rushing out on deck, the men including Van ready to head below deck, Merle running towards Van, a wave washing across the ship from the starboard side, Merle caught by the wave and washed overboard, Van desperately trying to grab her but coming up short. 

"NO!!" Hitomi flew off the bed and ran after her younger friend. "Stop Merle, stop!" She screamed.

"I have to save Lord Van!" The catgirl yelled back. 

Within seconds Hitomi closed the distance between them and dove, grabbing the girl by her thighs and bringing her down to the ground with a thud. "Van is alright. He's going to be all right. It's you who is in danger if you go up on deck." She explained quickly as she struggled to keep hold of the squirming catgirl.

"No! I feel it! Lord Van needs me! I have to go to him!" Merle struggled to break free.

"No, I won't let you! I won't let you throw your life away!" Hitomi fought back.

"What do you care? You want Lord Van all for yourself. You should be happy if I die." The catgirl struggled desperately to escape her captive, managing to inch her way a few feet closer to the exit but unable to get the teen off of her.

"That's not true. You're my friend. I care what happens to you." The teen tried to explain as she crawled up the younger girl trying to reach her shoulders so she could pin her down.

"Some friend you are, you can't even keep a promise more then ten days." The catgirl spat back while still trying to break free.

"I'm sorry about that. How many times do you want me to tell you I'm sorry? I didn't mean for it to happen that way, honestly." The teen gasped out as she reached her objective but the catgirl proved stronger than she thought, still managing to move both of them forward. 

"LIAR! You planned it all along! You wanted to make a fool of me!" The catgirl screamed.

"No! That's not true!" Spotting a thin rope out of the corner of her eye, Hitomi grabbed the end of it and quickly tied it around her own waist while leaning her shoulder down onto Merle's back. "I didn't plan for it to happen that way, it just did." Gathering up the rest of the rope she tried tying the other end around Merle's waist but seeing or rather feeling what the teen was trying to do, the catgirl spun around and grabbed her arms to stop her from tying the two of them together.

Struggling to get the rope around her friend Hitomi pleaded. "Please Merle, let me do this, it's for your own good. You're my friend, I don't want to see you get hurt."

"LIAR!!!" Merle screamed as she slapped Hitomi across the face, leaving her three deep scratch marks across her cheek. The pain caused Hitomi to recoil as she clutched her cheek. Merle used the opportunity to kick the teen off of her as she scrambled to her feet. "Leave me alone. Leave Lord Van alone. Go back home and never come back!" She screamed through tear filled eyes as she spun around and ran for the exit to the top deck.

Shaken by her words for only a moment, Hitomi sprang to her feet and ran after her, the rope still in her hand.

On deck, Van and three other men had just gotten down off the main mast. The captain, who had tied himself to the wheel of the ship, ordered them to get below. As they slowly made there way to the passenger hatch leading to the lower desks, the hatch spring open and Merle came bolting out. 

"Merle!" The king yelled in shock.

"Lord Van, I'm coming!" The catgirl cried out as she ran to the only man she ever loved.

Remembering Hitomi's vision, Van tried to rush over to Merle's aid but the other men with him refused to release him. Each had taken hold of the other for added support and safety as they slowly made their way toward the hatch. Now they were unwilling to let their king go, fearing his safety.

Just as Hitomi made her way up the stairs to the top deck, she saw it all unfold as if time had slowed down just for her. She saw Merle running toward Van. She saw Van struggling to break free of the men who held onto him for his own safety. She saw the thirty foot wave rise up high over the starboard side of the ship and come crashing down right in front of Merle, sweeping her up like a rage doll and carrying her across the ship's port side. She saw Van finally break free and rush in a futile attempt to save his childhood friend, as he reached out to grab her leg but was suddenly stopped by the side of the ship. And she heard the catgirl's screams rang in her ears for only a few seconds before being swallowed up by the sea. 

"NOOOO!!!" Hitomi and Van screamed.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I know, I know. I'm evil, but I just can't let a good cliffhanger go unused. ^_^ Besides, I've been doing some serious rethinking of this story and it may actually help forward things along if I eliminate the catgirl early on. I don't know. What do you think???

As always I welcome your comments, suggestions, and criticisms. 

A. Amishi


	36. Desperate Rescue

AN: I am sooo very sorry it took me so long to post this next chapter. I didn't mean to leave everyone hanging for so long. Really. I had planned to post this the very next day but I got a new computer, well it's actually an old computer but new compared to what I was using. Anyway, my son loaded the new OS on it and removed the ethernet card from my old computer and got my new one on line. That was great except I hadn't run backups to port my files over yet. And I didn't have time to do that till last night. But it's finally done and here is the continuation. I hope you like it. ^.^

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 36

Third day at sea

---

Without hesitation, Hitomi hit the deck running. She tossed the rope to Van and yelled, "Wait until the time is right then pull!" Not stopping to explain, she dove into the raging sea after her friend.

"HITOMI! NOOOOOO!!!" Van screamed as the rope landed at his feet and slowly uncoiled into the waters. He almost waited too long as the last of the rope began to slide away from him and over the side but he reached out and grabbed hold with all his might. The force of the strain on the rope and the lack of footing on the deck almost caused the young king to follow his love into the sea but he was held fast by the other seaman who rushed to his aid. 

"Let us pull her back up Sire." One yelled out.

"Yes!" Van agreed when suddenly he heard the words Hitomi said just before she dove in. **_'Wait until the time is right then pull!'_** "No wait." He instructed. "The time is not right."

"But your Majesty, Lady Hitomi will drown." Another seaman said in protest.

"No, she won't." He pulled out from under his shirt the red jewel she had given him and clasped it firmly in his hand. "I believe in her." He closed his eyes and cleared his mind of all things except Hitomi.

Under the waves, the teen from the Mystic Moon put her swimming skills to good use as she looked about while taking smooth long strokes to conserve energy and oxygen. She was sure she was going to have to return to the surface soon for more air when she spotted a faint orange figure thrashing about ahead of her and to her right. She swam toward the figure as it suddenly went still making it harder to see. 

Reaching the point she was certain was where the figure had been, she looked about but saw no sign of it when suddenly air bubbles past by her. She looked down and saw Merle drifting further down. Quickly she swam downward to catch her before it was too late and just as she was about to reach the catgirl's hand. The rope stopped her progress. 

__

'NOO!' She mentally screamed, as she watched her friend drift further away. Doing the only thing she knew she could do, she tried to pull the rope down past her hips but her skirt prevented that. Quickly, she ripped her skirt off and pulled the rope off, then dove further down for her friend. Now her lungs were screaming for air, but she fought the urge to inhale with all her might as she closed in on her friend. Reaching out once more she grabbed her by her wrist and pulled the catgirl up to her. Grabbing her around her waist, Hitomi turned and started to swim for the surface. 

Aboard the Lady Vari, Van saw Hitomi close in on Merle when suddenly she stopped. "No! The rope is too short!" He screamed as he clutched the jewel tightly. After a moment he saw what was happening next. "No Hitomi. Don't take the rope off. No!" But it was too late, as his mind's eye saw the girl he loved swim further down into the sea, he could feel the rope being pulled away by the sea's heavy waves. 

Deciding what to do in an instant, he quickly began to tie the end of the rope he held in his hand around his waist. 

"What are you doing your Majesty?" Several of the seamen asked. 

"Quickly, pull up the other end of the rope." He ordered.

To their surprise, the other end was no longer taut. Working as fast as they could, they gather up the rest of the rope. 

Then the king explained. "Hitomi will be rising to the surface with Merle any moment. I will find her. When I pull on the rope hard, three times, pull us in. Do you understand?" He looked at the young lieutenant, the only officer among them. 

"Yes Sire, three times hard, then pull you in. Understood." The young man said.

Van nodded, closed his eyes and clasped the jewel one more time for just a few seconds then released it and jumped overboard. As best he could, he swam in the direction he was certain Hitomi would be surfacing at, if she had not already.

Aboard the ship, the lieutenant ordered another rope be brought over. "We're not going to run out of line a second time." As one of the seamen skillfully tied the two ends together, the last of the first line got pulled into the water. Following the line in the storm was no easy task but they could tell it was going further behind and away from the ship. 

Just as Van was closing in on the location he knew Hitomi should be, the young teen came jetting out of the water, gasping for air. Van was still about twenty feet away and approaching from behind so she was unable to see him. Struggling to remain above the waves while still holding onto Merle, the teen began pulling at her jacket, then her blouse. Freeing herself of the heavy, wet clothing and kicking off her shoes and socks, the lean girl continued to gasp for air while trying to hold Merle's head above water.

Suddenly she felt something grab her from behind. Screaming in shock, she spun around, finding herself face to face with the man she loved. "Oh Van!" She reached out for him with her free arm. Wrapping her arm behind his neck, she pressed her icy cold cheek to his. "Thank god Van. I knew you'd come for us. I just knew."

Wrapping one arm around Hitomi and the other around Merle, he replied. "I thank the gods. You're alive."

Looking up at him with all seriousness, "We've got to get back to the ship fast. Merle's not breathing. She'll die soon if we don't get the water out of her lungs."

"Understood," he nodded, as he released Hitomi for a moment and grabbed the rope that was tied to his waist. With all his might he gave three strong pulls then waited. After a few moments they started moving across the surface of the water at incredible speed. This was not necessarily a good thing since twenty to thirty foot waves continued to roll over and around them. As they were being pulled, they were being forced through some of the waves that were in their path. But in a matter of minutes they were next to the ship and were being hauled up. 

Once on the deck, one of the seamen quickly cut Van free of the rope that was around him. Lifting Merle up in his arms he made his way to the hatch leading to the lower decks. 

"We've got to get the water out of her lungs first." Hitomi insisted.

"We have to get out of this storm first, or we'll all still be in danger." Van countered.

"All right, my room's closer." She said as she ran off ahead. Van followed close behind, as did the seamen who marveled at the teen who was in just a bra and panties. 

As she came to her quarters, she pulled the blanket off the bed and laid it on the floor. When Van came in, she told him. "Set her on the floor." Pointing at the blanket, "We need a solid surface." He did as she instructed. Then Hitomi knelt down beside the catgirl, tilted her head back and blew two breaths into her lungs. Then she positioned her hands over her chest and did 10 chest compressions. She then turned the girl on her side as water began to flow out of her mouth. Laying her on her back again she checked for a pulse and respiration. While the teen felt a faint pulse, the catgirl was still not breathing, so she gave her five more breaths and did 10 more chest compressions, turning her on her side once again as more water flowed out of her mouth. This time the catgirl began coughing and made a loud wheezing sound as she tried to suck in air. Slowly she began breathing on her own, though she was still unconscious. 

During all this Van stayed kneeling next to Hitomi, ready to assist in any way. The seamen who helped pull them to safety stood outside the door watching when one of them commented. "My, she is a pretty little thing, isn't she?" Van turned at the comment and the men instantly scattered. He rose and walked over to the bed pulling off one of the sheets. He folded it in half and draped it over Hitomi's shoulders.

Having been engrossed in her effort to get Merle breathing again, she never heard the comment or even realized she was practically naked with her soaked underwear virtually transparent. She looked up at him and smiled. "She's going to be all right."

He smiled back and nodded. Then he walked over to the door and closed it. Coming back and kneeling next to the woman he loved once again, he asked. "What should we do now?"

"Well, we need to get her out of these wet clothes and under some warm dry blankets." She replied as she started to pull Merle's dress off her. Stopping, she turned to Van. "Why don't you start a fire to warm this place up?" She said smiling at him. 

Van nodded, realizing she had more then one reason for him to start the fire. 

With his back to her, she pulled the dress off her friend and used the blanket as a towel to dry her off as best she could. Then she covered her with the sheet Van had given her and went over to the chest of drawers and pulled out two nightgowns. She tossed one at the foot of the bed and placed the other one on her friend. "Van, can you help me get her in bed?" The teen asked.

Having started the fire, Van walked back over and picked the girl up. "I've got her." He assured Hitomi.

The teen pulled down the last two sheets as the king placed his childhood friend on the bed. Covering her with the sheets, Hitomi then went to the linen closet and pulled out another blanket to cover the girl with. 

Van turned to Hitomi and placed his hands on her arms, near her shoulders. Only when his warm hands touched her cold skin did she finally realize what she was wearing. Her face instantly turned a deep red and the rest of her skin followed suit as she began feeling warm all over. 

"Van, please don't look at me." She turned away as she tried to conceal her nakedness.

But Van turned her back to face him. "I'm looking right here." He gestured from his eyes to hers. "No where else." He assured her. "Hitomi, what you did… "

She smiled up at him.

"Was incredibly stupid and foolish."

Her smile vanished.

After staring sternly at her for a long moment, he continued. "Thank you for saving Merle's life." He pulled her into his embrace. _'I almost lost you today. Don't ever do that again. Not for anyone, not even for me.' _ He held his tongue, knowing to ask this girl not to risk her life for those she cared about was like asking the sun not to rise. Instead, he contented himself with the knowledge that she was alive and safe, and in his arms once again.

Hitomi dropped the blanket and returned his embrace. Forgetting about her appearance, she allowed the feelings of fear and doubt that she suppressed while attempting to rescue Merle to wash over her. Suddenly, she felt physically weak as her knees buckled and Van had to support her weight. Without thinking twice, he scooped her up in his arms and set her down on a small sofa. He went back and picked up the blanket. He opened it and covered her with it.

"That's for Merle." She protested softly.

"I'll get another one for her. You need this now." He retorted as he wrapped it around her carefully.

"I'm sorry Van." She looked up at him with eyes filled with sadness. "I almost killed all of us. I should have been able to stop Merle from reaching the deck. I put both of us in danger by diving in after her. And then when I removed the rope…"

"Shhh" He placed his finger of her lips. "That's enough. You saved Merle and you came back to me. That's all that matters." He reassured her as he caressed her cheek.

"But…"

"If you could have, would you have done anything differently?" He asked.

After thinking a moment the teen answered. "Yes, I would have knocked her unconscious when I had the chance." She replied with a faint smile.

Grinning back the king added. "Assuming Merle had gotten washed overboard anyway, would you have done anything differently?"

Without hesitation, she answered. "No, there was nothing else I could do. I couldn't let Merle die. Not when there was a chance I could save her." 

"That's what I thought you'd say." He smiled at her. "Don't blame yourself Hitomi. If there is anyone to blame here, it is Merle and I. She knew she should stay below during the storm and I should have done more to reassure her that she still is an important part of my life so she wouldn't be feeling so insecure right now." 

Hitomi smiled softly. "Thank you Van." 

He smiled back. "Now get some rest. I'll be back in a minute after I change. Okay?"

She nodded in agreement and the king rose to his feet and walked out the door give a last glace first over to Merle then to Hitomi.

The teen watched as her love walked out the door. She then tried to settle back into the sofa and rest as he instructed but still feeling wet with her undergarments on so she quickly slipped them off under the blanket and tossed them on the floor. A moment later Van walked back in with another blanket, which we placed over Merle. Turning he gave Hitomi another smile when he noticed the garments on the floor next to the sofa. Immediately the teen began to blush. Not faltering a bit, he turned back to the bed and picked up the nightgown the teen had tossed there earlier. 

Picking it up he walked over to her and laid it on top of the blanket. "You may want to put this on. I'm sure it will help you warm up faster." He said with no hint of teasing or lechery in his words or tone as he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Reaching the door he smiled back at her warmly once again and was gone. 

Hitomi smiled to herself. "God, I love him." Then looking at the nightgown laying on the blanket, she slowly slid one hand out and retrieved it. Pulling it under the blanket, she ducked under it as well and slipped the gown on. Poking her head out once again, she sighed at the comforting feeling the soft garment provided. Stealing one last look at her sleeping friend, she said softly. "I don't blame you for being jealous Merle. Van really is amazing. What's not to love about him?" Slowly her eyes drifted shut as she slept peacefully.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry about the cliffhanger and about the Merle dying stuff. I really did consider killing her off but I had an epiphany as to Merle's roll in the grand scheme of things late last night. So Merle must live if I am to have her achieve her destiny. But that is for another time. I hope you liked this chapter. I was going to split it in two but I felt after the last chapter we all deserved a little tenderness as soon as possible.

As always, I think you for your comments and words of support. You readers of Escaflowne ff are much more forgiving than ff readers of some other series I've written for. I really do appreciate your generosity. 

A. Amishi


	37. A Little Heart to Heart

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 37

Morning of the fourth day at sea

---

Van sat at the sofa, which he and Hitomi had moved next to the bed shortly after his return. He stared off into the fire considering the events of the past few hours. He had hoped Hitomi would sleep longer but the moment he walked back in the room she sat up. They moved the sofa in order to keep watch over Merle. Covered in the blanket the teen from the Mystic Moon curled up next to the man she loved and watched the funny little catgirl sleep a restless sleep. The poor little thing was assailed by nightmares as she tossed and turned all night long. When one or the other wasn't sitting next to Merle, holding her hand and whispering comforting words to her, they sat mostly in silence, torn between the concern they had for their friend and the joy they felt when they were together, close, like this. 

As the hour grew very late, Van tried to convince the teen that it would be best if she went to his chambers and slept in his bed while he remained to keep an eye on Merle but she refused to leave his side. It wasn't till exhaustion finally caught up to her that he carried her sleeping form to his bed. That was only a couple hours ago. Now as he sat staring at the fire, he thought of how much he enjoyed just having Hitomi next to him, how much more complete he felt when she was near, and how empty he felt, now that she was just a few doors away. He thought of how it would feel when she decided it was time to return to her own world and the thought was a difficult one to bear. 

He was roused from his thoughts when Merle began to stir. He looked over at her and waited to see if it was another nightmare before getting up to sit next to her on the bed. But instead, this time she slowly opened her eyes. A confused look spread across the girl's face as she took in her surroundings. 

"Funny, I thought eternity would look different somehow." She commented to herself.

Van raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Looking about slowly she noticed her king sitting quietly, just watching her.

"Please tell me we're both not dead." A look of genuine fear appeared in her eyes.

"No Merle, we're not dead." Van smiled. "And thanks to Hitomi, you'll live to see many more days."

She looked about but saw no one else. "Th… this is her room isn't it?"

The king nodded.

"Where is she?"

"She's sleeping in my room." He informed her.

"Oh." Her expression fell as her heart broke.

"It's not like that." He clarified. "She stayed up with me all night watching over you but she was finally too exhausted to stay awake so I carried her to my bed so she could get some sleep."

"Oh." The catgirl blushed a deep shade of red, embarrassed for having such wicked thoughts involving her king.

After a few minutes of silence, her king's words worked there way back to her. "Hitomi saved me." Her surprise was quite evident.

Van nodded. "She dove into the sea after you without hesitation. Then after getting you back on the ship, she breathed life back into your lifeless body." 

Feelings of shame and regret filled the young catgirl as she recalled the hurtful words she said to her rescuer. "She did that for me? Why?"

"Because she cares about you Merle. She considers you her friend." The king explained. "And she would do anything for her friends, even risk her own life."

Merle rolled on her side, away from her king. "I don't deserve to be Hitomi's friend." She cried softly. "Not after the things I said to her."

Slowly, Van rose to his feet and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to the weeping girl. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. "You know, you may be right. You may not deserve to be Hitomi's friend."

This statement caught the girl by surprise as she began to weep harder.

"But like it or not, she sees you as her friend. She understands how you feel. But you need to understand how she feels, how we both feel for each other."

Slowly Merle rolled back over to look at the man she loved. 

"You'll always be special to me Merle. You've been with me longer than anyone I know and I want you to always be with me. But you realized it even before I did, that I love Hitomi. You said so yourself. I do love her and she loves me." He carefully wiped way her tears. "And nothing, and no one can ever change that."

Merle nodded her understanding as his words imprinted themselves in her memory. A faint smile began to creep across her face when she realized all of what he had said. "You want me with you always, Lord Van?"

A soft smile made its way across his face. "Of course, what would I ever do without you?"

"You're just teasing me now." She pouted.

"No, really. I'd be lost with you around Merle." He grinned.

She considered his words for a moment the replied. "No, you wouldn't. You have Hitomi now. But thanks for saying so anyway." She smiled back.

He gave a soft laugh. "You really do see things clearly don't you?"

"Better than you know Lord Van." She reached out and took his hand. "Better than you know."

"And that's why I need you. Who knows me better than you? Who'll be there to keep me honest to myself?" He countered.

"Maybe you're right, but it will only be a matter of time till Hitomi knows you as well as I do. She's a strange girl but she's smart too. It won't be long." She added.

"Perhaps you're right, but who'll be there for Hitomi?" He gave her a pensive look.

She returned the look as she considered his question. "Good point. She knows no one in this world other than us, and to be perfectly honest Lord Van, you can be pretty clueless sometimes."

"Thank you Merle. I always enjoy having my faults thrown in my face." He said with a sarcastic smirk.

"Sorry, but it's true." She grinned meekly.

"Well, all the more reason why both Hitomi and I need you." He concluded and before she could respond he continued. "But now, you need to get some rest." He stroked her cheek tenderly. "Go back to sleep and when you wake up; I'll have some food ready for you."

"Mmm, I'd like that." She smiled as she turned on her side facing him this time, and closed her eyes.

Van got off the bed and sat back down on the sofa.

"Lord Van?" She said without opening her eyes.

"Yes Merle?"

"Thank you... for being my friend." 

He got back up, walked over to her and kissed her on the temple. "How can I be anything else? Sleep now."

She nodded as a happy smile crossed her face.

Sitting back down he stared at her for a while till he noticed her breathing turn regular and deep. He went back to staring at the fire as he considered his good fortune, that which he once considered his misfortune to have two women who loved him so. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry no Hitomi in this one but I felt V/M needed some time together to work things out. This will mark a turning point for Merle. While the change won't be immediately evident, because Hitomi will be returning to her world in the next few chapters, it will be very obvious in later chapters. 

I'm glad you liked my last chapter. As someone who doesn't know how to swim, the idea of being in water that is too deep for me to touch the bottom and still be able to breath is terrifying. My youngest son earned BSA Life Guard last year during Summer Camp then followed that up by participating in a mile swim which he completed while suffering two leg cramps less then a quarter into the swim, this in water that is over 40 feet deep. He didn't seem to think it was anything that great but I was so proud of him. He did something I couldn't ever imagine me doing. 

Anyway, thank you for your comments. You really make writing this fic a joy for me. I use to think I only wrote because I had something I wanted to say, ideas I wanted to express. And having written some works that have received few reviews, didn't really bother me because while I wanted people to read them, the joy of writing the stories was satisfaction enough. I must say, you people have spoiled me ( in a good way ^_^ ). Not only do your comments and reviews inspire me to continue with this story but it even gives me the motivation to continue with the other stories I'm working on even though they don't get the responses this one does. 

Speaking of other stories ( shameless plug ), I will have another story coming out soon. It is an Eva story and is a sequel to Random1377's Crimson and Azure. I wrote it with Random1377's permission and will be posting soon with his blessing. It is called, Any place can be Heaven, if you let it. Like Crimson and Azure, it is a S/R fic, but it is really a story about family and the different kinds of love that exist within it. If you're a fan of Random1377's work, a fan of Crimson and Azure or just like a nice romantic drama, be sure to check it out. I hope to have it up by the end of the weekend or the middle of next week. ^__^

A. Amishi


	38. Another Heart to Heart

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 38

Ninth day at sea, just hours from reaching Fanelia

---

Standing along the starboard side of the ship, Hitomi was able to just make out the mountainous region of Fanelia just above the distant horizon. Smiling at the prospect of returning to the land she considered her home away from home, she didn't hear the approaching footsteps.

"Pardon me Lady Hitomi." One of Van's vassals said respectfully in order to get her attention.

Turning to face the young man, she replied. "Yes, Spencer? Isn't it?" She smiled.

"Yes ma'am. Merle has requested to see you, below in your quarters." He explained.

"Oh, alright. Thank you." She turned and headed below deck.

Walking into her quarters, she saw the catgirl; still dressed in the nightgown she dressed her in six days ago, sitting along the window's edge, looking at the retreating seas.

"Hi Merle. How are you feeling?" The teen asked with a smile.

Turning to face her friend, Merle returned the smile with a happy grin, "Much better, thank you."

"That's good." She replied as she took a seat on the bed. "Spencer said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Who? Oh, yeah, the vassal." The catgirl gave a soft laugh. "You're funny; you even take the time to remember the names of the servants."

"Servants are people too." Hitomi replied.

"Yes, you're right of course." 

"What did you want to talk to me about?" A serious expression crossed the teenager's face.

Getting up from the windowsill, the catgirl crossed over and sat down next to the teen. "What I'm about to tell you is well... personal between you and Lord Van but I feel I need to tell you before he does so you have time to think it over carefully."

"Merle, remember what happened the last time you meddled in Van's affairs." _'Okay, that was a poor choice of words.'_ She scolded herself mentally. "When you thought Van and Millerna were lovers."

"This is different..."

"No Merle, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to listen to any rumors about Van." Hitomi insisted.

"But this isn't a rumor, Lord Van told it to me himself." She explained.

This caused the teen to hesitate. Finally she said. "Okay, what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"Do you have any idea how much Lord Van loves you?" The catgirl asked.

Wrinkling her brow in confusion, she replied. "Well, y-yes, I... I think so."

"Do you know how much you love Lord Van?" 

"Why are you asking me these questions?"

"Do you know how much you love Lord Van?" The catgirl insisted.

"I love him with all my heart, with all my soul." Hitomi replied.

"Do you love him enough to stay on Gaea forever?" Merle pressed on.

After considering the magnitude of the commitment her friend was asking about, she replied. "Yes, yes I do."

"Enough to be his wife, his queen...now?" 

A fearful expression overcame the young teen. "What are you saying? Are you saying Van is thinking of asking me to marry him?"

"No, what I'm saying is Lord Van **is** going to ask you to marry him." Merle clarified. "And if you say no, you'll leave him empty and alone."

Hitomi got off the bed and walked a few steps way, toward the windows. "Why are you telling me this? How do you know Van plans on asking me to marry him?"

"Because, he asked me if he did, what I thought your response would be." The younger girl answered truthfully.

"So he's just thinking about it. He hasn't made up his mind." The teen replied.

Merle shook her head. "I know Lord Van. I know he wouldn't have asked me if he didn't mean to ask you to marry him."

Hitomi stared pensively out the window at the rolling sea. A million thoughts raced through her head. "And what did you tell him?"

Merle looked down at her hands as she considered how to answer her friend's question.

"Well Merle. Since you seem to have such a talent for knowing what people think and feel. What did you tell him?"

"I said... I said you loved him enough to marry him but that you may not be ready to leave your world behind. I said things like school and your family and friends were still important to you back there. I told him he should wait a few years before asked you to marry him." The catgirl replied.

The teen walked the rest of the way over to the window placing her hand on a pane of glass. For a long while, she remained silent, lost in her own thoughts. Finally, she spoke. "You have a remarkable gift Merle. You see things exactly as they are."

"Sometimes it feels more like a curse, like now. That's what you're going to tell him isn't it? Well, at least something like that." Merle inquired.

"Why is everyone in this world in such a rush to grow up?" Hitomi continued staring out the window. "I love Van. And I won't pretend I haven't thought about what it would be like marrying him, living the rest of my life here in Gaea with him. But I'm only fifteen. I'm just in my first year of high school. I still live with my family." Tears started rolling down her cheeks. "Why did you tell me this Merle? Why?"

"To spare you the shock when Lord Van does it and to give you an opportunity to think of what you will say to him. So you don't hurt him too badly." Her friend replied.

"Too badly?" 

"Anything short of saying yes will hurt him. I'm giving you the chance to soften the blow." She explained.

The teen turned and walked back over to the bed, sitting down next to the catgirl. "Thank you Merle. You're a good friend." She gave the catgirl a sad smile.

The younger girl got on her knees and pulled her friend into a supportive embrace. "It'll be okay Hitomi. Just listen to your heart. You know what's the right thing to do."

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I know this looks bad but don't worry. This is a V/H romance after all. Not much of a romance if they don't end up together, right? ^_^ If you recall from my description of this story, Hitomi will be making regular visits over the next three years, till she turns 18. So yes, she does go home but she will be back. 

Okay, venting time. I'm sure many of you have experienced this with your own efforts to upload stories this week, but man, I was really getting frustrated. I would have posted this chapter early this week had ff.net not had the problems they did. But life goes on. ^_^

As always, thank you for your comments. Believe me, I am not trying to be evil. Just have faith in their love and it will work out in the end. (Hence the title) ^_^

A. Amishi


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 39

At the Port of Fanelia

---

As King Van instructed his minister on the distribution of the goods aboard the small merchant fleet, Hitomi asked the servant she knew as Spencer to see that a carriage was waiting for her when she disembarked the ship to take her back to the castle. She asked Merle to stay behind and keep Van distracted as she left. And if he were to ask why she was in such a hurry to return to the castle, Merle was to say that the teen was not feeling well and simply wanted to return to her chambers and rest. It was not entirely a lie. Since Merle told her about Van's intention to ask her to marry him, she had begun to feel rather ill. She was torn between her love for the young king and the close ties she felt toward her friends and family. The luxuries of her world she was sure she could learn to live without, but her mother, her father, and even her little brother, they were all very important to her. And what about Yukari? She was more like a sister to her then a friend. She was her companion, her confidant, and her conscience. 

Sitting on the sofa in her quarters aboard the ship, she waited for word from Merle. _'Oh Van. I do love you so. Please understand. I'll be back soon, I promise I will.' _She closed her eyes as she tried to keep her emotions in check. Suddenly, the door opened. Startled, she jumped, turning to see who was at the door.

"Calm down, it's just me." The catgirl said. "Now's a good time, Lord Van is on the other side of the port inspecting the cargo from one of the other ships."

"Okay," Hitomi got up and retrieved her duffel bag as she followed her friend off the ship.

At the end of the pier, up a short path was the carriage, waiting to take Hitomi back to the castle. As the two teens reached the end of the pier, Merle looked over and noticed Van, in the distance, turning to look their way. As she watched him, she saw him speak briefly to one of the ships' captains then begin to head in their direction. 

"Lord Van is coming." She warned.

"What?" Nervous tension covered the older teen's face.

"Don't worry. Get in the carriage and go. I'll slow him down." Merle headed off in the direction of her king, bounding on all fours.

Hitomi didn't look back. She quickened her pace as she headed up the path. Arriving at the carriage, she boarded it without a word to the coachman who opened the door for her. Having always received a kind word from her in the past, he assumed the young lady from the Mystic Moon must have been in a hurry so he mounted the driver's seat and road off as quickly as he could.

"Hey Lord Van! Have they unloaded the harbor crabs yet?" Merle licked her lips as she came to a stop in front of her king. 

Looking past her, he saw the carriage pull away. "Where is Hitomi going?" He asked, still staring after the coach.

"Oh, she said she wasn't feeling too well. Kinda tired. So I told her to head back to the castle and get some rest." The catgirl said, holding her hands behind her back and rocking back and forth on her heels as she smiled up at the young king.

"You don't think its anything serious? Maybe I should head over to the castle, to make sure she's all right." His concern etched on his face.

"No! I mean, I'm sure it's just fatigue." The catgirl grinned.

Looking down at his friend, he considered her explanation for a minute then nodded and turned back toward the last ship he was inspecting. "Still interested in those crabs?" 

"Yeah!" Merle yelled happily as she got in step with him. As Van begin barking out instructions once again, she stole a glance over her shoulder, down the path toward the castle. _'You're doing the right thing Hitomi. Trust me.'_

At the castle, Hitomi wasted no time packing her belongings. While most of her things were already in the duffel bag, there were a few items she had left at the castle. She considered leaving one or two outfits but since she had already lost one outfit when she rescued Merle, she figured it was best not to leave another, at least not this time around. 

She took out the herbal medicine Van had used on her cheek where Merle had scratched her. The scars were still visible but fading fast. She applied a little more, then wrapped it back up and placed it in the bag. 

Rummaging around in the bag to make sure she had everything she needed, she came across the handkerchief she had given Van before his match against Allen. She held it to her cheek, feeling the soft fabric as it reminded her of a time not so long ago that now felt decades away. As the memory of her giving the favor to her true love, his epic battle against his friend and rival, and the kiss they shared in front of tens of thousands of people in the arena filled her thoughts, tears began to run down the sides of her face. Slowly she dropped to her knees as she clutched the fabric tightly to her chest. 

"Oh Van… Van… Van…" She repeated over and over as she wept.

Satisfied everything was now being handled to his liking; Van called for his horse. 

"Where are you going Lord Van?" Merle asked as he readied to mount his steed. 

"To the castle. I just want to check on Hitomi. She left in such a rush, I just want to make sure she's alright." He replied.

"I told you she's fine. She was just a little tired." Merle insisted, pointing at the furniture that was being unloaded from one of the ships, she asked excitedly. "Oh, is any of that mine? Let's go see."

"Of course some of it is yours. You picked it out yourself Merle." He answered, with a confused frown. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you were trying to…" Suddenly, the young king's eyes grow large as an angry expression crossed his face. Mounting his horse quickly, he raced off in the direction of the castle.

Coming to a halt at the steps of the castle, Van jumped off his horse and ran inside, heading for Hitomi's chambers. Passing one of the palace maidens, she called out to him.

"Your Majesty, she's not in there." She informed him.

"In where?"

"Her chambers. Lady Hitomi is not in her chambers." She clarified.

"Wh-where'd she go? Where is she?" He took a commanding step toward her.

"Ah, she said she was going to the garden behind the castle." She replied, shrinking a bit from her kings intimidating presence.

"The garden! How long ago?" He grabbed her by her arms.

"Ah! About an hour my Lord. But do not worry. She said to tell you this. She said she would be waiting for you there." She said in a trembling voice.

Releasing the maid, he ran off in the direction of the garden. 

"My goodness." She fanned herself with her hand as she walked off to handle her daily chores.

As Van rushed out into the garden, he immediately spotted Hitomi, staring up at the still form of Escaflowne. Seeing her like this brought a smile to his face. But as he got closer he noticed she was holding her duffel bag in her hands. His smile instantly vanished.

As he drew closer, the teen turned her head and smiled at him. "I actually started to forget what Escaflowne looked like. A magnificent machine and you learned to operator it so perfectly."

"Why do you have your bag with you?" The king asked, not letting her distract him.

Softly she sighed. "I need to go home Van." She turned to face him. "It's been weeks now and I have school work to do. I have exams in just a few weeks then the summer track-training season starts. I stand a good chance of making the varsity team this year if I work hard over the summer break."

"Do these things really matter?" He asked as he drew close.

"Of-of course they matter. How could you ask such a question? These **things** as you put it, are a part of my life." 

"And what am I Hitomi? Am I not a part of your life? Or am I just a diversion. A quaint change of pace from your world." He stared at her coldly.

Unable to endure the harshness of his stare, she turned way. "Don't be so cruel. You know I love you. Don't make this harder than it already is." She began to cry.

"It doesn't have to be hard at all. Just stay. Stay here on Gaea. Stay here with me." He walked up to her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hitomi, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Don't you want the same thing? Don't you think you could be happy living here on Gaea, with me?" Gently he turned her around so he could look into her face. 

Dropping her bag she slowly raised her head to stare into his intense gaze. Her vision blurred by the flood of tears that welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. 

"Hitomi, I'm not a man of words. I may be a king but I'm also a simple man. I know the forests, and I know how to fight. But I know what my heart is telling me. And it tells me I don't want to live another day without you. Hitomi, will you…"

Gasping in shock as she realized that he was about to ask, she quickly placed her hand over his mouth. "Don't. Don't say it Van. Just don't say it. If you don't say it, then I don't have to break your heart. Please Van, don't say it." 

Slowly, he moved her hand from his mouth. "But I thought you loved me."

"Oh Van." She pressed her face into his chest as her tears started up anew. "I do love you. Nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life with you."

"So what is the problem?"

"We come from two different worlds, you and I. And as much as I love you, and I do love you; I'm not ready to leave my world behind just yet. It's not that I doubt my love for you, I don't. And it's not that I have anyone else that even comes close to you over there, there isn't. It's just, we're still both so young. I know that doesn't seem to make a difference here but where I come from, a boy and a girl can't even get married until they turn eighteen."

"Eighteen?" 

"Mmm hmm." She nodded.

"And how old are you now?" 

"I'm fifteen." She answered.

Van tightened his hold around her and breathed in her scent, committing it to memory. "Very well. In three years then."

"What?" She asked, her eyes shot open though she still kept her head on his chest.

"In three years you will be eighteen. In three years, I will ask you what you did not want me to ask you now." 

She remained silent and still for a long while, just holding him tight. Finally she replied. "Thank you Van. Thank you for understanding."

"I don't understand but I will concede to your wishes." 

Looking up at him, she saw the hardness in his gaze slowly melt away. "Thank you still."

They stood there looking into each other's eyes. Memorize each curve and line on their faces. 

Van broke the silence first. "Must you leave right now? We just returned to Fanelia. There's so much I want to show you still."

"I think it's best if I go now. The longer I stay, the harder it will be to leave. But I promise to be back very soon." She insisted.

"Not six months this time." 

A concerned look crossed her face. _'That's right. It was only six weeks on earth but six months here on Gaea since the last time I left.'_ "I don't know how, but I promise to figure out this whole space-time thing. If it is at all in my power to control, I promise not to take six months to return. I swear."

Van nodded. "So I guess this is it then."

"I guess so." Hitomi smiled sadly. 

"At least let me have one last kiss goodbye." He asked.

"Not goodbye. That sounds too permanent. How about, till we meet again." She suggested.

"Very well. Till we meet again." He said as he tilted his head downward.

Hitomi raised her lips up to meet his as their eyes closed and their lips pressed softly together. Through this simple tactile action they conveyed their love and longing for each other. 

Slowly the pendent around Van's neck began to glow and levitate. Eventually engulfing both of them in a bright beam of light. And just as slowly Hitomi began to levitate as well, pulling them apart. 

Suddenly, she realized she was missing something. "My bag!" 

Van looked around the ground. Spotting it he retrieved it quickly and held it up for her. Still within reach she grabbed it and smiled at the man she loved.

He smiled back. "I'll be waiting, till next time we meet."

"I promise, it will be soon." She called out, rising higher and higher till she was no longer visible.

Van stood there staring up at the sky as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "Goodbye Hitomi. I do love you." He whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Bittersweet is what I was going for, did I make it? Parting is never easy, and especially for Van here knowing how long the last time it was he saw her. But he is a strong young man, so I have confidence in him. I was going to make this two chapters but I felt you deserved to see it taken this far after the problems this website has had. By the way, does anyone know of any Escaflowne specific website I might be able to post this story at? After ACEN, I found that there are many ff fans that refuse to log onto ff.net. Call it prudish or what have you but I'd like to share this fic with as many Escaflowne fans as I can. Thanks.

I must say. Eva fans are a pain in the ass!!! I'm working on posting an Eva story I wrote months ago as a sequel to Eva ff writer, Random1377's story Crimson and Azure. I followed this style I started here, with very short chapters. I've received several reviews already complaining about that approach. I've been told, not asked, told to make my chapters longer. What arrogance! If I didn't put so much of myself into that story already, I'd just leave it unfinished and screw the Eva fans. Sigh. Sorry for venting here, but you guys make me feel so at home. I really loved Escaflowne after I saw it and I've seen it a few more times since I started writing this story. I've really come to love Van and Hitomi and the rest of Gaea as well. I'm so glad I can share this story with you. 

I'll try to get a couple more chapters out before the end of the week.

A. Amishi


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 40

On Earth

---

Hitomi Kanzaki stood motionless, staring straight forwards. It wasn't until the train pulled out of the station as the contrast of light and darkness caused by the lamps from within the train and the night sky casting a dark shadow upon everything else did she rouse from her trance. 

Gasping in shock, she looked around to get her bearings. "Where am I? The train station, but which one?" She looked off in the direction where her school tower would be if… "I'm near school." She stared at the edifice in the distance. "What time is it?" She took her bag off her shoulder and set it down on the ground as she opened it and started rummaging around in search of her pager. "There it is. Only forty-five minutes since I life home." She sighed in sadness. "Well, at least I won't be reported missing. I guess that's a good thing." 

She put her pager away and stood up waiting for the next train.

She walked with purpose in her step, occasionally breaking into a jog, wanting to get to Yukari's house as soon as possible. She had so much to tell her friend and this time she had evidence to prove she wasn't just dreaming. As she came close to her own house she slowed down. Passing slowly, she looked in the front window to find her family still sitting watching TV. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she quickened her pace once again and continued on to her friend's house.

As she turned the corner she spotted her friend standing out front of her home but she wasn't alone. 

"Yukari! Oh, Amano. Sorry, I… a…" She turned away to hide her embarrassment. "I… I'll come back later."

"That's alright Hitomi. I was just leaving." The handsome young track star said. Turning his attention to his girlfriend he whispered. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay."

She nodded as he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. 

"Goodnight." He smiled as he turned and walked away, past Hitomi. "That's a cute outfit you got on Hitomi. Did you have a date tonight?" He asked as he walked by.

"No, I mean yes… well sort of." She blushed once again.

Laughing lightly, he smiled at her. "Well, when you figure out whether it was a date or not, maybe you can introduce him to me." He added as he continued on, waving goodbye.

"That might be hard." She said, turning to watch him go. 

"Did you want something Hitomi or do you always like spying on me when I'm on a date with Amano?" Yukari teased.

Turning back around quickly to face her friend, she responded. "I wasn't spying. I came to talk to you."

"About what?" Her friend tilted her head slightly.

"Lets go to your room. It's not something I care to discuss out on the street." The two teens walked to the door and went inside.

"Okay, but this doesn't have anything to do with that dream you had six months ago, does it?" Yukari inquired.

"I'll tell you upstairs, in your room." Hitomi insisted.

"You had the dream again." 

"I'm telling you it's not a dream. It's real. Gaea really does exist."

Yukari walked over to her window and looked up at the full moon. "I only see one moon up there Hitomi, not two."

Walking over till she was standing next to her friend, the teen looked up at the moon as well. "I can't explain it but when I look at the moon, I see Gaea as well, just behind it."

Her friend sighed then walked back over to her bed and sat down. "So, tell me what happened this time. Were you sucked up by a beam of light, like last time after track practice or something."

"No, I contacted Lord Van telepathically a few days ago."

"Telepathically?"

"Yeah, we were thinking of each other and before I know it we could hear each other's thoughts. I told him I missed him and wanted to come visit him. He said he'd be waiting, so I packed some things and headed over the school." She said as she grabbed her bag and dropped it on the bed between her and her friend.

"So how long were you there this time?"

"Over a month. I arrived in the garden behind the castle in Fanelia and I spent a few days there. Then we traveled by ship to Astoria for Princess Millerna's coronation…"

As she spoke, Yukari went through her bag. "What, you went over there without your CD player?"

"I told you I gave it to Millerna as a gift."

"So now the Queen of Astoria has a CD player. Where is she going to get batteries or new CDs?"

"I guess I'll just have to bring them to her."

She continued to pull out items as Hitomi continue with her story.

"Then he lunged forward but Van blocked it and countered." The shorthaired teen went on as she pranced around the room with an imaginary sword in her hand. "Then he followed that up with a series of attacks but Allen blocked each one of them."

"Okay, I thought you said Allen and Van were friends?"

"They are. I told you, this was a tournament. They weren't trying to kill each other, just cut the flower off that was on the lapel of their vest. Aren't you listening?" Hitomi stood with her hands on her hips. 

"Of course I am. So who won the match?"

"Well, that was the best part. See after fighting for almost an hour they both attacked at the same time and cut off each other's flower at the exact same time." The shorthaired teen thrusted forward with her imaginary sword.

"So it was a tie?"

"No, see Allen's cut wasn't clean. He tore a small part of Van's vest. It was just a tiny cut but it was enough. Van's cut was clean; he only got the flower. So Van was declared the winner."

"Then I dove in after her."

"So you ruined that outfit? Shoot, and I was going to ask you if I could borrow that one." The longhaired teen continued searching in the bag, "I don't see it in here."

"No, well, see after spotting her, I swam out to grab her but right before I could reach her the rope around my waist stopped me. So I pulled off the skirt so I could get the rope off me. Then after I reached her and pulled her to the surface, I took off the jacket and blouse. They were just too heavy in the water."

"So how'd you get back to the ship?"

"Van tied the rope around himself and dove in. He found me and the crew pulled us back to the ship."

"So you were on the ship in your underwear with a bunch of dirty sailors staring at you." Yukari's eyes went wide.

"I wasn't worried about what I was wearing at the time, I was more worried about resuscitating Merle." 

"And then I appeared at the train station. Like I never left at all." Hitomi shook her head in disbelief. "I don't understand that part of it. I don't understand why I always return before I ever left. Or why time passes so much faster on Gaea than it does here." 

Yukari sighed. "Hitomi, this all sounds incredible, but are you sure you didn't just dream it all? I mean really. Come on, a whole month's worth of adventures in less then an hour's time. And you still have no real proof you went anywhere."

"Yes I do. I have proof this time." Hitomi started searching in her bag. "See, here." She pulled out the herbal medicine Van had given her. "Van gave me this, to treat the scratches on my face."

"What scratches?"

"That's right, you saw me this afternoon. Did I have any scares on my face?"

"No."

"Look here." Hitomi turned her cheek toward the light to give her friend a good look.

"I don't see anything." Yukari insisted.

"Look closer. This stuff works really well, but if you look closely you can still make it out."

Looking closely, Yukari could just make out the faint tracks of three deep scratches across her friend's cheek. Her eyes went wide as she sat back down slowly. "When did you get those?" 

"I told you, Merle scratched me when she was struggled to break free on the ship during the storm."

"Did they happen this afternoon after school? Did your brother do that to you?" The longhaired teen stared breathing a little heavier and feeling a little bet warmer.

"Would they have healed this much if he had done this to me this afternoon?" Suddenly, another item came to mind and Hitomi started looking through her bag again. "Here, this is the handkerchief I gave to Van before his match against Allen." She held the delicate fabric out for her friend to see. "Look at the designs on it. Have you ever seen anything like it ever?"

Yukari stared at the cloth, taking in its intricate designs and unique weaving, and she began to shake. "No, I've never seen anything like it before, not anywhere." Her breathing became more labored. "Where did you get that thing?"

"I told you, Princess Eries lent it to me and later let me keep it." She pushed it closer to her friend. "Here take it. Feel the texture of the fabric. Is feels softer than silk but it's not silk and it's not synthetic either."

"No, I don't want to touch it." Yukari leaped off the bed as if contact with the fabric could prove lethal in some way.

"Yukari, what's wrong?" A confused expression worked its way across Hitomi's face.

"This can't be true. This can't be real. You imagined it Hitomi. You had to have imagined it."

"Yukari, how can you say that? The scare on my face, the medicine, THIS!" She held the fabric firmly in both hands. Slowly, she drew it closer to herself, till she was looking down upon it. Gradually, droplets began to fall upon it. One or two at first then a steady flow as she pressed the material to her face and wept.

"Why won't you believe me? Why do you insist it's all just a dream? Van is not a dream. He's real and I love him. I love him more than I can bear. Why can't you believe that?"

Unable to overcome her own fears in order to comfort her friend, Yukari answered. "Because, if I believe what you tell me is true, then everything I've ever learned about human existence is a lie. Atlantis ceases being a myth. The origin of mankind and our understanding of the universe all changes. I'm not ready to throw away everything I believe in, everything I've been raised to believe is true."

Looking up through tear-filled eyes Hitomi replied. "There are many truths in the world, not just one. Why can't you believe in mine?"

"I can't Hitomi, I just can't." Seeing the sadness and pain her friend was going through brought tears of sadness and frustration to the young girl's eyes.

"But I need you to. I don't know what to do about Van. I left this time but if I go back again, I don't know if I'll be strong enough to return. It hasn't even been an hour since I left him and already I yearn to see him again. I feel so complete when I'm with him and so empty when I'm not. I don't know what to do. I need your help. Please Yukari, please. Help me, I love him so much it hurts." The teen wept again.

Having never seen her friend in so much emotional pain before, Yukari struggled to overcome her own fears and slowly walked up to her friend. Wrapping her arms around her, she reassured her. "It's okay Hitomi. It's okay to cry. It's okay to love. I believe you. I believe you now."

Looking up at her friend, hoping these were not just words of sympathy the girl asked, "Really, do you really believe me now?"

"Of course, the Hitomi I know would never get so worked up over something that wasn't real. For you to have fallen for someone so hard, he has to be real." Yukari smiled. 

"Thank you Yukari, thank you." She continued to weep.

After a few minute, her friend said. "Come on now, it's late and you've been through quite an ordeal. Lie down and go to sleep. You'll need your rest, so you can tell me more about this place; Gaea is it?"

Obeying her friend's instructions, Hitomi laid down on the bed, still clutching the delicate fabric to her chest. "Thank you Yukari. Thank you for believing in me." She said through sleepy eyes as exhaustion over took her. 

"What else are best friends for?" Yukari whispered as she took off her friend's shoes and socks, and pulled the blanket over her. Setting Hitomi's bag on the floor she saw the small package her friend had said was medicine. Getting an idea, she reached in and pulled it out. "Well, this is one way to make sure." Taking one last glance at her friend who was fast asleep now, she turned off the light and walked out of the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: What will Hitomi do? Love can be a wonderful and a painful thing. But if there is one thing we know about our heroine, it's that she is never lacking of courage to face whatever challenges life has in store for her, even challenges of the heart. 

I so love writing this story. It really lets the romantic in me grow. I'm glad you liked my last chapter. I was a bit concerned. I know how much everyone wants V/H to be together forever. Believe me, so do I. But there is so much I want to write about and the only way to do that is to keep them apart. Sorry. 

Fushizen na, thanks for the suggestion. I'll see about submitting it there. 

Tyifa, I did get your review, though for some reason it does not appear on ff.net. Thank you, and thank all of you for your support. You make working on this story a joy. ^_^

Just to let everyone know. I have not enjoyed a summer break for many years now. For me, the only difference between summer and the rest of the year is, I use my air conditioning while I drive to work during the summer. The last time I was in school, I'm willing to wager many of you weren't even born yet, and that was while I was working on my Masters. But I've always loved to write, ever since I was a young boy and ff is my outlet. So don't expect updates to come any faster just because it is summer time. If anything, they may be slowing down because I am entering a very busy phase at my work. But only time will tell. As always, I will try to update at least once a week. More often if I can.

A. Amishi


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 41

The King's private dinning room in the palace of Fanelia

---

Van sat slumped back in his chair. On the table next to him were a bottle of wine, which was almost empty, a half filled glass and a large orange colored fruit that he was carelessly stabbing with a small dagger. He rested his cheek against his fist, his elbow resting on the armrest of the chair. As he stared pensively at the fruit, his mind was actually a world away. 

"Lord Van?" Merle approached from down the hall, poking her head into each room as she passed and calling out for her king. "Lord Van?"

"Lord Van?" Hearing the calls of his longtime companion the king sighed as his countenance turned hard.

"Lord Van? Oh, there you are." She walked in slowly and kneeled down at his feet. "Oh Lord Van, don't be sad. Hitomi will be back. She said she would, didn't she?" The catgirl smiled, hoping to brighten her king's spirits.

The king remained silent. 

Looking over at the table, Merle saw the bottle of wine and the glass. "Lord Van, you haven't been drinking have you? You never have more than half a glass, ever. Drinking won't make you feel any better. Come on; let's go for a walk around the city. That'll brighten your spirits." She grinned.

He picked up his glass and drink down the last of the wine in it. "You told her didn't you?" He accused her, not bothering to look at her as he squeezed the metal goblet in his hand until it could no longer take the pressure and collapsed in upon itself.

Merle shrank back a little bit. "What do you mean Lord Van?" Her fear was plainly evident on her face.

"You told Hitomi I was going to ask her to marry me. That's why she left is such a hurry. Isn't it?" He turned and stared at her with eyes as cold as ice.

Merle suddenly began panting rapidly. "I…I…I only did it for your own good Lord Van."

"Having the woman I love rush off like a thief in the night was for my own good?" He asked sarcastically.

"No… I mean…" The catgirl struggled for the words to explain her actions as her breathing became more labored and tears blurred her vision.

"You know what I think. I think our talk the other day fell on deaf ears." Van stared as Merle gasped in shock.

"I think you couldn't stand having Hitomi around anymore so you poisoned her mind with thoughts of how hard life would be for her here on Gaea as compared to her world." He continued.

"No! That's not true! I didn't do that! I love you Lord Van! I would never do anything to hurt you! I was trying to spare you from being rejected by her! That's what I was trying to do! I swear!" She cried out with tears streaming down her face.

"Liar!" Van spring to his feet, throwing the crushed goblet across the room while clutching the dagger angrily in his hand.

Merle jumped back. "It's the truth Lord Van. I just want you to be happy. I swear. I swear." She buried her face into her hands.

"Yeah, happy as long as it is with you and not Hitomi." He glared at her.

"No!" She cried. "No… Hitomi's my friend. I love her. I wouldn't do that to her. I wouldn't…" Merle wept uncontrollable. 

Slowly she raised her head, tears still streaming down her face, as she looked at her childhood friend and saw something she never saw in his eyes directed totally at her. "You hate me. You hate me Lord Van. I'm sorry." She jumped to her feet and ran. "I'm sorry!" She screamed as she ran down the hall. "I'm sorry! … I'm sorry! … I'm sorry! …"

Van stood frozen, his rage having gotten the best of him. Slowly, tears began to fill his eyes as he slumped down to the floor. "You fool. You damned fool. You scare away the woman you love and now you chase away the woman who's loved you all your life. You're such a fool." Slowly he rose to his feet. Wiping his eyes dry with the back of his hand he turned to leave the room when he realized he still had the dagger in his hand. Staring at it as if it were his most hated enemy he slammed in down into the table driving the blade halfway through. Then he turned and walked out to the room.

Merle sat on the roof of the castle, her arms holding her knees in close and her face buried under her arms as she continued to cry. "I'm sorry Lord Van. I never meant to hurt you or Hitomi. I just … I just …" She broke down and wept uncontrollably.

Suddenly, her ears picked up the sound of soft footsteps approaching. Quickly she turned her head to see who it was. "Stay way from me." She buried her face once again.

"I can't do that."

"You hate me. You think I hate Hitomi. You were going to hurt me." She cried.

The last thing she said caused him to stop cold but only for a moment. He continued to walk till he was next to her then he sat down and tried to put his arm around her but she pulled away.

"No! Don't touch me. I don't deserve to be touched by you."

Frowning, he repeated his action. "Let me be the judge of that," as he pulled her close to him.

After they sat there in silence for a long while, the only sound being the soft whimpers from the catgirl, Van finally spoke softly. "Merle, I don't hate you. I'm not angry with you. In fact, I came up here to ask you if you could possibly forgive me after the terrible way I treated you. I'm sorry Merle. I'm sorry for not trusting your judgment. You were right. Hitomi wasn't ready to leave her world and family behind. I'm sorry for taking out my anger on you. And most of all I'm sorry for scaring you and making you believe I would actually consider harming you in any way. I would never hurt you Merle. Never. You're my best friend. You have been my whole life. I don't know what I'd do without you. Please say you can forgive me. I don't know what I'd do if you ever stopped being my friend."

With tears still in her eyes, she looked up at him and smiled sadly. "Oh Lord Van." She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his chest. 

Rubbing his cheek on the top of her head, the young king said. "Love is a funny thing. It can bring us so much joy that we think we're on top of the world. But then it can bring us so much sadness and pain that we strike out against those who care for us most. I'm sorry Merle. I'll never doubt you again."

She tightened her grip around him and wept all the more. "Thank you Lord Van. Thank you." 

The two did something they hadn't done since they were both small children that night. They slept under the stars in each other's arms.

~~~~~~~~~

AN: I have to say I just love catgirls. ^_^ If catgirls really existed in our world, I'm sure I would have married one in a heartbeat. And that is not meant as an indictment against my wife, rather my affection for the female feline. ^_^ That said, I can't help but write for Merle. She's so cute and loveable despite herself. And while she's not my favorite catgirl (that position is reserved for Aisha Clan Clan) she is among my favorites.

Sorry for all the heartache but from personal experience, separation, especially with newfound love, is a very painful thing. Also sorry for no Hitomi here but don't worry; next chapter will be all Hitomi. When will she be going back? That is a very good question. As soon as I, like her, figure out this whole space/time thing. That may take a little while. But it won't be too long, I promise.

In response to a reviewers comments about young lovers kissing a lot. Yes, I remember how that is. ^___^

But these aren't your ordinary teens. Van is a king. That's not to say he feels he needs to put on airs just to look kingly. No, rather, his parents raised him, later Vargas raised him to believe in things like honor and duty. So Van is kinda rough around the edges when it comes to relationships, though Hitomi is working on that. ^_^ Also, there is Hitomi's own modesty. Being a king, Van is rarely alone during the day. Nighttime will be their time, mostly but even then propriety and duty knows no hour of the day or night. But fear not, lovers always find ways to show their love, even fossils like me. ^___^ Okay, I'm not that old but still. 

I must say, my cup runneth over, your comments are far too generous. I am both humbled and overjoyed that you think so much of my writing. ^_^ Not to worry, I won't let it go to my head. How can I when the reviewers of my other stories keep slapping me around. :P Still, I really do appreciate so many of you take the time to comment after almost every chapter, for some, even every chapter. It lets me know I'm on the right track and that people are actually reading and enjoying my work. That warms my heart. 

Have a great week everyone and may your wishes of love come true. ^_^

A. Amishi


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 42

Yukari's bedroom

---

Yukari's longhaired cat walked up along the bed. Coming to the sleeping girl's face she started to lick her on the cheek. 

"Mmm, Merle, that's enough. I'm glad to see you too but…" Slowly the teen opened her eyes. "Oh, it's you Mashiro." She smiled. "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else." She picked the cat up in her arms as she sat up. Yawning deeply she looked around. "Where is your master Mashiro?" 

As if on queue, Yukari walked in the room with a tray in her hands. "Morning sleepy head." She smiled.

"Hey." Hitomi smiled sheepishly. "What time is it?"

"It's already 10:30. You've been asleep almost eleven hours. Don't you get any rest over there in Gaea?" Hitomi's friend asked.

She smiled, remembering their conversation the night before and how Yukari confessed to finally believing her stories about Gaea and Van. "Well, we had just arrived at Fanelia from our ocean voyage from Asturia. I must admit, I found it difficult sleeping at sea. And staying up with Merle kinda took its toll on me too."

"Well then, you must be hungry too. Move Mashiro, Hitomi needs to eat." She told her cat and set the tray on her lap as the feline spring off the bed. On the tray was a bowl of rice, another bowl of miso soup, some toast and a glass of juice.

"Ahh, thanks I'm starving." Hitomi picked up the bowl of rice and began to eat. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her friend eat, Yukari wondered out-loud, "I guess they didn't feed you over there either."

"Hmm?" Hitomi looked up. She smiled and gave a silent laugh with her mouth full. After a minute she responded. "Actually, I was so upset over leaving in such a rush, I forgot to eat anything." She grinned. Suddenly her eyes grew wide. "Oh my goodness! I forgot to call my mother and tell her I was spending the night." She started moving the tray.

"Don't worry. I already spoke with her."

"You did? When?" She set the tray back down.

"Late last night. She paged you about ten minutes after you fell asleep. I told her you were spending the night and most of today here. She seemed okay with it." 

"Thanks." She went back to eating.

When she saw her friend was almost done, Yukari asked. "So, tell me more about this guy you've falling in love with, Van right?"

"Mmm," Hitomi smiled. "Van is so, soo… wonderful. He's about our age, a little older I think. He's the king of his country, Fanelia. During the war, he was very serious and very single minded but this time he was …"

"Was what?"

"So different. And yet the same."

"Okay, that makes no sense." Yukari folded her arms in front of her chest.

"It's difficult to explain. I mean on the one hand he's very much a king, dealing with important issues like trade and politics. On the other hand, he still can be very single-minded like when he fought in the exhibition match against Allen. Van became a great swordsman during the war but in that match he fought at a level he had never before achieved. And he did it for my honor."

"Are you serious?" Her friend expressed her skepticism. "Maybe he just said that to make you feel special."

"No, really. That's why I gave him the handkerchief." She looked down on the bed and saw it sitting next to where she lay. Picking it back up she held it close again. "I knew he needed to focus all his energy on one thing, otherwise he was going to be humiliated by Allen. And it worked. When he focuses his energy on one thing, one thing he really cares about, there's nothing he can't do." She smiled.

"He's so noble and brave but he also showed me a tenderness I hadn't seen before, a gentle side of him that the war didn't allow him to show. He's just… so… amazing." Sadness began to overwhelm her again.

"Hey, hey! None of that." Yukari reached out and took her hand. "Don't start getting all melancholy on me. Okay, you love him. Okay, you want to spend the rest of your life with him, but you're here now and you've got to deal with this world now. We've got exams in three weeks. Summer track practice starts in four weeks and you stand a good chance of not only being on the varsity team for the fall season but also being our number one 100-meter runner."

"But does any of that really matter?" 

"If you really believed it didn't matter, why did you bother coming back home?" She questioned.

Hitomi just looked away.

"You came back home because you know it does matter." Yukari moved closer. "Okay, so maybe your future isn't as uncertain as the rest of us. Maybe you know that when the time comes you'll go back to Gaea to stay and become the Queen of Fanelia. But until that time, you need to live, and learn. Do you know the first thing about being a queen?"

The shorthaired girl just shook her head.

"Okay then, there's something you can do. Research the duties and responsibilities of a queen. You said their world is kind of like a cross between European mid-evil and renaissance times with the exception of their flying ships and their giant fighting machines. Well, then that means there are lots of things in our world that can be used to help their world: medicine, technology, you know stuff like that. I mean, do they even have flushing toilets?"

Hitomi smiled and slowly blushed as she shook her head again. 

"There you go, you can bring indoor plumbing to their world." Yukari smiled.

Setting the tray aside, Hitomi got up on her knees and hugged her friend. "Thank you Yukari. I knew you'd be able to help get through this. You're the best friend a girl could ever have."

"What, and you're just realizing it now?" Her friend teased as the two girls shared a good laugh.

"Come on, let's get going." Hitomi said as she got off the bed and grabbed her bag.

"Where are we going?" Yukari asked with a look of confusion on her face.

"To the library of course. No reason to waste time, I got to start my research." The shorthaired girl smiled as she began to change. "By the way, wasn't Mashiro in a fight recently with some other cats. I thought I remembered her being scratched up pretty bad. 

"Yeah, well. You see." A guilty expression crossed the girl's face. "I sort of used that medicine of yours on her. And it worked great."

Hitomi stopped what she was doing. "I thought you said you believed me?"

"I did, I mean I do, I just wanted to make sure is all. It's not like I lied to you, I just wanted to remove any doubt." She said defensively.

"I guess your right." Hitomi conceded as she continued to get dressed.

"I am? I mean, of course I am." She smiled as she got off the bed.

"Let's go to the main library, I need to do some research on the time-space continuum is well." She smiled back.

"Space-time?" The redhead asked with a puzzled look. "What on earth for?"

"Well, for some reason this last time I returned to Gaea, I arrived six months from the time I left when only six weeks passed here. And every time I return, I come back at a time before I even left. At this rate, Van will be an old man before I'm ready to say I DO." The taller girl explained as she started getting undressed. "Umm…"

"What, what is it?"

"Mind if I take a shower?" She asked sheepishly as she turned a pale shade of pink.

"Don't be silly. Go right ahead." Her friend gestured.

"Thanks." Hitomi replied as she gathered up her things and headed for the door. "And Yukari."

Her friend turned toward her once again. 

"Thanks again. You don't know what this means to me." She smiled then headed for the bathroom.

"This is just too amazing." Yukari said to herself with a smile "Hitomi, I always knew you were special. I just never knew how special."

~~~~~~~~

AN: I'm really glad you guys like my last few chapters. Here I figured it was time to lighten up the mode some. The heart can only take so much pain. How will they manage apart? Well, one of the things that I love about both characters is their inner strength and resiliency. Separation from the one you love can be painful but Hitomi is not a bowl of jelly and won't just go to pieces because she's not with her true love. How will Van fare? Well, we'll just have to wait and see. I've got one or two more chapters with them apart before she ventures back. It takes time to figure out that whole space/time thing. ^_^

A couple things I wanted to mention. Now I'm sure most of you have already seen this but I feel I must mention it anyway. Every so often I venture to www.animemusicvideos.org and look for AMVs of my favorite shows. Which is tough since my three favorite shows are Nadesico, Lodoss War (OAV), and Escaflowne. Tough to find good works on the first two. But I found an AMV I really like featuring Escaflowne. It is called "Ordinary Day" by Cailet Studios featuring the song, Ordinary Day by Vanessa Carlton. I just love it and if you haven't seen it yet, I strongly recommend that you find it and watch it. I think you'll love it to. ^__^

The other thing I wanted to mention, well actually ask is if there are any fan artists out there. I am planning on posting this story on my website but I'd like to include some fanart inspired by scenes from the various chapters. I can't afford to pay, unfortunately, but you're are will be posted for others to see and enjoy. If anyone is interest please email me at aamishi@netscape.net. Thank you.

I'd really like to thank those who have been leaving some very verbose reviews lately and offering suggestions and ideas. I love all the reviews I receive but I especially appreciate those who take the time to really express, in words, the thoughts and emotions my story stirs within you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm no longer able to read my netscape email at work so I have to wait till I get home to read it and its something I really look forward doing almost every single day, especially after posting a new chapter. Thank you all. ^___^

A. Amishi


	43. Chapter 43

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 43

In Hitomi's bedroom

---

"I don't know which one I like more." Yukari said sarcastically, holding up two large books as she sat on her friend's bed. "Women who Ruled: Queens of the Renaissance, or The Queens of Denmark   
- from Danebod to Dorothea. Is this supposed to be a woman on the cover of this book? Man those Danish women are scary looking. Eew." She tossed both books on the bed and continued to pull more out of Hitomi's duffle bag. "How wait, this is my favorite, Toilotology 101: The Basics. Hitomi, I can't believe you actually checked this book out."

Her friend continued to flip through the pages of the science book she also got from the library as she leaned against her desk. "You're the one who said I should introduce indoor plumbing to Gaea."

"I was kidding. Can't you tell when someone's being ironic?"

"Obviously not." She looked up from her book. "Besides, joke or not, it still makes sense. Van is looking to expand the size of his capital. A good sewage system will help reduce the risk of disease. Last thing I'd want to go through over there is something like the black plague that wiped out a third of Europe."

"And what's that book for? Planning on some inter-dimensional space travel?" Yukari grinned.

"Well, actually, I guess I already have. How else have I been able to travel to and from Gaea without a ship? How have I been able to leave at one time and return before I even left? How is it… "

"Okay, okay, sorry I asked." She checked her watch. "Well, it's getting late and I promised Amano I'd call him back, soo,"

"Oh, yeah." Hitomi set the book down and stepped forward offering a hand to her friend as she stood up. "Hey, you've been a great friend Yukari. Thanks for last night and thanks for helping me find these books. It really means a lot to me."

"Hey, what are friends for, right?" She smiled. "But remember, you promised. No traveling till after our exams, and the next time you go you come and get me. I want to be there to see you off. Okay?"

"Okay, I promise." Hitomi smiled back as she gave her friend's hand a reassuring squeeze. 

"Okay then," She headed for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early."

"Okay, hey, give Amano my best okay?"

"No, I'll give him my best." Yukari winked.

Laughing softly the shorthaired girl replied. "You're so bad."

Her friend just smiled and left.

Hitomi stood watching the door a few moments longer before sighing lightly and grabbing the book she was just reading. Looking at the cover she read, "The Space-Time Continuum: Separating Science Fact from Science Fiction." Sitting at the head of her bed she started flipping through it once again.

After about an hour she set that book aside. "Gosh, that'll give you a major migraine." She reached over and grabbed another book, Queens of the Renaissance. "Hmm, looks more like a history book." She opened it and started reading. 

Two hours later, she set that book aside as well. "Yup, history book. Interesting history book but not very practical. Maybe I can send a message to Millerna and ask her to send Celena to Fanelia for a time so she can teach me proper courtly behavior. Yeah, that could work. Of course, I'll have to figure out how to control when I return so I don't request her visit one trip and have her waiting months for my second arrival. Of course, I'm sure she wouldn't mind staying at Fanelia for a time." Visions of Celena and how she always seemed to brighten up whenever Van was around came to mind. Suddenly, her eyes grew large. "What am I thinking? The last thing I need now is another rival for Van's affections. Especially not someone as beautiful and elegant as Celena."

Turning toward the books she had been reading, she picked up the science book once again. "I've got to figure this out." And she began reading again.

Over the next three weeks, Hitomi split her time between preparing for her exams and reading the books she checked out of the library. With Amano spending most of his time preparing for his college entrance exams as well as school exams, Yukari spent long hours with her best friend helping her studying and keeping her focused on school. 

The books on the queens of Europe were of little use to her so she returned those and took out other books on proper etiquette and palace protocol. She also got other books on sewer systems realizing that indoor plumbing shouldn't be a privilege reserved only for royalty. And she took out two other books on space-time. 

While she didn't pretend to understand everything she read on the subject she did understand enough to know she wasn't getting any closer to an answer. But thanks to Yukari, she didn't have time to dwell on this fact. Her friend made sure she didn't leave each night until Hitomi was practically falling asleep. 

But try as she might, her friend couldn't keep her from dreaming. And dream she did. Most were pleasant enough at the start, Van and her picnicking in the forest, Merle prancing about chasing some small forest creature just for fun, Van resting his head on her lap as they stared up at the star filled sky, but almost each dream ended the same way. With Hitomi leaving and Van heartbroken. On those nights she would wake up in the morning with a profound sense of melancholy. On a few nights she dreamt she returned to Gaea again only to find Van a withered weak old man barely holding onto life, but still waiting for her. On those nights, she would wake up with a start, her face covered in tears. Those nights, there was no going back to sleep. Instead, she would go to her desk and read for hours about the space-time continuum, hoping for some answers to her problem.

It was one of these nights, the morning before her first set of exams and Yukari had to wake her from her reading as she had just fallen back to sleep while reading only fifteen minutes earlier. With her eyes all red and sleeping the two girls walked to the train station together. 

"You better wake up and focus Hitomi." The redhead said. "Two of these first three exams are the toughest, mathematics and science. You need to do well on both of these if you hope to participate in track over the summer break."

"I'll try." The green-eyed girl replied sleepily.

"Well, you better try really hard. Remember, you can be the first freshman ever to make the girl's varsity track team but only if you participate during practices over summer break." 

"Okay, okay. I'll do my best." The green-eyed girl yawned.

"Well… you better. For your sake and Van's sake." 

That got Hitomi's attention as she shook off the drowsy feeling and pulled out her math book from her bag. _'For Van, I have to do well. I have to.'_ She reasoned as she scanned over the book. 

On the train ride to school, Yukari drilled Hitomi on subjects they were testing in that day. The redhead couldn't help but smile as she realized that all her time spent studying with her friend did not go to waste.

~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Research is a good thing. Especially if you do your research before you use the information you are researching. Unfortunately, if you don't do your research first, then you have to go back and update previously posted chapters. That is my case. I posted chapters referring to the Japanese high school before I researched them. As it turns out I needed to make some minor revisions to chapter 39 and 42. Nothing major, just references to exams and summer break.

Next chapter we see the results of all of Hitomi's studying and see what she determines is the reason for the Space-Time problem. I hope you like my solution.

Again, thank you for all your wonderful comments. I really appreciate all of them. I hope to have this story up on my website soon as well as on escaflowneonline.com. I'll let you when it's up. ^_^

A. Amishi


	44. Chapter 44

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 44

Kamakura-Kita High School Track and Field Complex

---

Hitomi sat at the very top row of the stands staring pensively up at the moon. The exams were over as were the parent/teacher/student conferences. Assignments were given for over the summer break and school was out till September. Track practice would start in three days and run the whole summer break. But Hitomi's thoughts weren't on track practice or her test results. Rather her thoughts were of another world and the man she loved. _'I can't believe I survived three weeks without Van. I was sure I was going to die of a broken heart that first night. I miss him so, but I had to be strong, for both our sakes.'_

The sound of someone walking up the stands drew her attention. Seeing her friend walking up toward her brought a big smile to her face. "And here is the person who helped give me that strength."

"What are you talking about?" Yukari asked as she sat next to her friend.

"Nothing." The green-eyed girl shook her head. "It's nothing."

They sat in silence for a little while before Yukari spoke. "So I saw your mom before she left. She seemed very happy with your test results."

"Mmm, I think I surpassed her expectations, thanks to you." She gave her a thank you smile.

"Well, I had to do my part for true love's sake." The redhead smiled as she looked up at the moon. "Still see Gaea up there?"

"Mmm hmm, just behind and to the right of the moon. Of course, it's much bigger than the moon." 

Silence settled over them once more. Finally, the redhead asked. "So have you figured out how to control when you return yet?"

"I think I may have." Hitomi stared back up at Gaea.

"Really? So those books actually helped?"

"No. I think that was the wrong approach. There may be a scientific explanation for this whole space-time phenomena but I think the answer is much simpler than that." She said.

After waiting a few minutes Yukari snapped. "Well! Are you trying to drive me nuts in anticipation? What is it?"

Smiling Hitomi replied. "I think the time I arrive is whatever time I want to arrive."

"What?"

"Well, when I came back from Gaea the first time, it was the day before I actually left, the time I ended up in the infirmary. I think that happened because right before I was transported away, I was thinking how I wished I had never traveled to Gaea. I was angry at the war and at all of the killing. I wanted to return to a time before any of that happened for me. So I returned the day before I left. When I returned to Gaea with Van, he wanted to return to the time he left. He had unfinished work to take care of and so he needed to return without any time passing. When I went back this last time, I kept thinking how long it had been since I saw Van last. I didn't put a time to it, just a general feeling of it being a long time. And to me, six weeks was a long time, but not as long as it was for Van. When I returned home, I was already convinced I'd return before I left, so I did."

"That all can be coincidence. Its not scientific proof." The redhead argued.

"I know; that's why I'm going to put it to the test. Tonight." 

"Tonight?" Yukari gasped.

"I can't wait any longer. I'm surprised I managed to wait this long. I have to see him again." Hitomi turned to her friend and smiled. "Don't worry, I won't miss any practice and I'll even train while I'm over there, okay."

"You better." Her friend gave her a glare of fact sternness. 

Hitomi laughed softly as she stood up and dusted herself off. "Come on, you can help me pack."

Stopping at the store on the way home, Hitomi purchases two twenty packs of batteries and a couple new CDs. 

In her room, Yukari went through a checklist of items they both agreed were essential, while Hitomi verified they were in her bag.

"Deodorant soap?""Check"

"Shampoo and conditioner?""Check"

"Deodorant?""Check"

"Tampons?""Check"

"Toothbrush and paste?""Check"

"Hair brush""Check"

"Eight pairs of underwear?""Check"

"Four sports bras?""Check"

"Six regular bras?""Check"

"Four pairs of gym shorts?""Check"

"Eight T-shirts?""Check"

"Running shoes?""Check"

"Track shoes?""Check"

"Twelve pairs of gym socks?""Check"

"Foot powder?""Check"

"Six blouses?""Check"

"Three skirts?""Check"

"Two pairs of pants?""Check"

"One pair of jeans?""Check"

"Three dresses?""Check"

"A Sweater?""Check"

"Two sweatshirts?""Check"

"One warm-up suit?""Check"

"Two pairs of sweatpants?""Check"

"Lipstick, blush and nail polish?""Why am I taking these things? I never use them."

"You've never used them beefore. As the future queen of Fanelia, you better get used to looking your best." The redhead shook her pencil at her friend.

"Okay, okay, hmm… check"

"Twelve pairs of sock?""Check"

"Six pairs of shoes?""Check"

"Do you think six is enough?"

"I managed with one pair last time."

"How'd you do that? Oh, are you taking your blue ones? You know the ones with the ankle strap." 

"I wasn't going to. Do you think I should?"

"Well, if you're not, can I borrow them?"

"I guess." Hitomi shrugged.

"Cool." Her friend smiled. "Okay, you've got the batteries and the CDs in there already. That's everything on the list. Can you think of anything else you might need?" 

"Hmm, not off hand… oh," She ran over to her dresser and grabbed her astringent. "Don't want to be breaking out while I'm there." She grinned and put the bottle in her bag. "Okay, I think that's everything."

She picked it up and handed to her friend.

"Ugh, it weighs a ton!" The redhead complained.

"Oh, it's not that heavy." Hitomi picked it up again. "You're just that weak."

"That's why I'm the manager, not the athlete." She got off the bed. "You can carry the bag back to school."

"Okay, okay. Well, let's go." The shorthaired girl looked at her watch. "It's getting late."

"After you, your Highness." Yukari teased bowing low at the waist.

"Very funny." Hitomi shouldered the bag strap. "By the way, women curtsy to royalty, they don't bow." 

"Oh, my apologies your Majesty." The redhead curtsied. "Please don't send me to the dungeon."

"Oh, shut up!" Hitomi snapped as she walked to her door.

"Of course your Majesty." She continued to tease.

"I'm going to make you carry this bag if you don't stop."

Yukari just laughed as she followed her friend out of the room and down the stairs.

"We're leaving now mom!" Hitomi called out from the foyer. 

Her mother came out of the kitchen. "You're not going to stay for dinner? I made you your favorite, in honor of your wonderful performance in your school exams." She smiled.

"Sukiyaki!" The redhead's eyes lit up.

"Yukari!" She gave her friend a stern look.

"Oh, come on, what difference will another hour make? Pleeeeease!" Her friend battered her eyes as she clasped her hands under her chin and did her best imitation of a sad puppy dog.

"Oh, alright." Hitomi sighed as she set her bag down with a thud.

Everyone looked down at the bag. 

"Good heaven's, what do you have in there?" Her mother asked.

"Oh, just stuff for the weekend. You do remember I'm staying over at Yukari's for the weekend, right?"

"Yes, I remember." She turned and walked back to the kitchen. "It just sounded awfully heavy for just a weekend bag."

Following after her mother the shorthaired girl continued. "Well, Yukari asked to borrow a few of my things and since I'll be so busy with track practice this summer, I figured, why not." 

"I see. Well, your father will be home soon, so set the table will you?" Her mother asked as she went to put the finishing touches on dinner.

"Okay mom." She grabbed her friend's wrist and dragged her along to help.

"That was delicious Mrs. Kanzaki." Yukari stated enthusiastically as she got up and took her dishes to the kitchen.

"Why thank you Yukari. I'm glad someone liked it." The woman of the house stared at her daughter.

"Oh, I liked it, I just wasn't that hungry is all. Sorry." Her daughter bowed her head as she stood and took her dishes to the kitchen as well.

"Are you feeling well Hitomi?" Her father asked as she and her friend walked back into the dinning room.

"Fine daddy. I feel fine, I guess I just celebrated with a few too many snacks after school today." She gave a fake guilty smile. "Sorry."

"Well, just don't make a habit of it."

"I won't. Well, Yukari and I have to get going now." She bowed to her mother and father, and stuck her tongue out at her little brother who did the same in return. "I'll see you guys Sunday night."

"Thank you for dinner Mrs. Kanzaki." Her friend bowed respectfully then turned and bowed to her friend's father. "Thank you."

"Have fun you two." Her mother said.

"Oh, we will." Smiled Yukari as she gave Hitomi a wink.

Struggling to keep from blushing she said goodbye one last time and the two girls were out the door. 

Once on the sidewalk, Yukari turned to her friend as said. "Remind me to take lying lessons from you when you get back. Okay?"

"What are you saying?" She asked innocently.

"Too many snacks hey. That's the reason you weren't hungry." The longhaired girl gave her friend a sarcastic smile.

"Well, what was I supposed to say? Sorry mom but I'm so love sick over this king from another world I just couldn't eat a bite." The shorthaired girl shot back.

"No, I guess that wouldn't do." Yukari stared to the sky as she rubbed her index finger to her chin. "Well, let's go." She turned to head for the train station.

"Wait." Hitomi stole a look back at her house as she slowly walked in plan view of the front window.

"Now what?"

"I've got to make sure their not looking out the window. It'll look awfully suspicious if we're supposed to be going to your place and we start walking in the opposite direction." 

"Oh, yeah, I guess you're right." She imitated her friend, peering into her front window.

"All clear, let's go." Hitomi gestured and they started walking to the station.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I hope you liked this chapter, because it was just so much fun for me to write. No angst, no romantic love affair, just two teenage girls being two teenage girls. I'd especially like to hear from the female adolescent crowd. How did I do? To stereotypical? Not enough detail? Just right? What? Not being a teenage girl and never having been a teenage girl, I had no personal experience from which to draw from but from having observed my daughter and her friends over the years as well as my wife, from back in our dating years, I think I got close to showing fairly typical adolescent female interaction and still maintained the integrity of the characters. Did I make Yukari too playful? Don't know if she really is that much, but I had a feeling that maybe under the right circumstances, she would be.

Well, if you haven't guessed it yet, next chapter Hitomi returns to Gaea. But when will she return to? How much time will have passed? Sorry, got to wait till next chapter to find out. ^_^ I know, I'm evil. Sorry. :P

Thank you for all your comments. I love reading every single one of them. ^_^

A. Amishi


	45. Chapter 45

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 45

The High School Track and Field Center

---

Yukari carried on a mostly one-sided conversation with her friend. While the redhead rambled on about one thing or another, her friend responded mostly with single syllable replies or the occasional, "Hmm?" As they walked out onto the field Yukari became silent as she followed Hitomi out to the middle of the track. Stopping at about the 60 meter marker, Hitomi set her bag down and sat cross-legged on the floor. 

The redhead stood about two meters in front of her just looking at her. "So, I guess this is the moment of truth?" 

The light brunette looked up at her and smiled. "Starting to have some doubts?"

"Well," She looked away for a moment, then took a deep breath and looked back at her friend. "No, if you say this is real. Then it is real. I believe in you Hitomi." She sat down. "So what exactly do you do to get sent over there?"

"I need Van to be thinking of me while I'm thinking of him." She said. "When we share the same feeling it becomes possible for me to travel back to Gaea without the pendent." She closed her eyes and straightened her posture. "I'm going to start thinking of him. I'm going to try and communicate with him and let him know I'm ready to come back."

"What should I do?"

"Just wait and watch."

"And when will you be back?"

"Well…" She opened her eyes for a moment as she considered the question. "That depends. If I was able to return to Gaea as I expected, then I'll be back here within the hour. If not, I'll probable be back before these events even took place. In which case, you won't have any memory of any of this." 

"Well, I hope you manage to return when you plan. For both our sakes." 

"Me too." She smiled as she closed her eyes once again and began to think of the man she loved. _'Van… Van… Van… Can you hear me Van? I'm ready Van. I'm ready to return to you. I'm ready to return to your strong, safe arms. I'm ready to feel you next to me once again. Just like it was yesterday. Just like it was only a day since I left. Was that the longest night you've ever experienced? It was for me. I slept forever but while my body rested, my mind couldn't rest. All I could do was think of you. Van… can you hear me Van. I'm ready to return to you Van. Don't you want me back in your arms Van? Don't you want to feel my lips against yours once more? I know I do. … Van… Van… Van… Van…' _

Suddenly a brilliant light appeared from high up in the sky and engulfed the young teen. Instinctively, she reached out next to her and grabbed hold of her bag as she began to levitate.

"Oh my god! I believe! I really do believe!" Yukari jumped to her feet as she watched her friend float higher and higher up into the air. A thought crossed her mind and she yelled out. "Hey Hitomi, don't forget to bring me back a souvenir!" She smiled as she noticed a faint grin reach her friend's face even though her eyes remained shut.

On the roof of the palace in Fanelia

---

"Hitomi… Hitomi… Hitomi… Hitomi…" Van tossed his head to and fro as he whispered in his sleep. "Hitomi… Hitomi… Hitomi… come back to me Hitomi… please come back to me… Hitomi… Hitomi… Hitomi… Hitomi…"

The catgirl stirred as a bright light filled her closed eyes. "Mmm, is it morning already?" She turned her head in the opposite direction, nuzzling closer to her king and friend, her head resting on his chest. And while she was correct in assuming it was morning, it wasn't the sun that shown in her eyes. As the clouds that concealed the sun parted, its light shined into her eyes, causing her to squint once again. "What the… " Slowly she lifted her head and opened her eyes to see the sun rising in the horizon. Blinking several times as she saw the red sphere slowly rise in the distance, a thought occurred to her and she turned her head back to the direction she previously had it. Looking up she saw a bright beam of light descending from on high. 

"Lord Van!" She sat up quickly and shook him. "Lord Van, get up quick!" 

"Mmm, what is it Merle?" The king said as he slowly pulled himself up.

"Look!" She pointed to the beam of light.

"HITOMI!" Van yelled as he jumped to his feet. "It's Hitomi, she's come back to us." He yelled as he ran to the stairwell leading off the roof and rushed through the castle with Merle close behind.

Running out into the garden that bordered the forest, Van came to a stop within the beam of light. Squinting and shielding he eyes with his hand, he looked up and saw a vision descending toward him. A wide, joyful smile appeared on his face as he reached with is arms up to the heavens.

Hitomi saw him as he ran out of the castle. Her own smile grew as she saw him step into the beam of light and smile up at her. She reached out for him and struggled to restrain her tears of joy as she gently descended into his waiting arms.

"Oh Van. I missed you so." She lowered one arm and let her bag fall to the ground then wrapped it around him once again. "Hold me. Hold me forever." She pressed her cheek against his chest, as the tears she held back would wait no more.

In an instant, the light was gone and the skies cleared.

"Hitomi, I can't believe you've come back to me so soon. Am I dreaming? If so, I never want to wake." The king replied.

"It's no dream. I'm here." She whispered.

"Hitomi! You're back! You're back!" Merle jumped up and down with excitement.

Looking up she stared into his eyes and asked. "Tell me, how long have I been gone?"

"You only left yesterday. I didn't expect you to return so soon." He caressed her temple and her cheek and gave a soft laugh. "I can't believe you're back already."

Smiling broadly she replied. "It worked. It really worked. Three weeks have past in my world but only a day here." 

"Three weeks? But… how is that possible?" Van marveled. "You learned the secret didn't you? You learned how to control when you arrive."

She nodded happily. "I'll explain everything, but first I need some rest. It really took a lot out of me this time."

"Of course, what was I thinking?" Van reached down and picked up her bag, quickly noticing the weight it bore. Shouldering the bag he smiled knowingly as he took her hand.

"Hitomiii?" Merle wined.

"Merle!" The girl from the Mystic Moon reached out with her free hand and pulled the catgirl into an embrace. "I missed you too." She grinned and rubbed her cheek against the younger girl's head.

Hugging the taller girl tightly. "I'm so glad you've come back to us."

"So am I Merle, so am I."

Van waited a few moments for the girls then he gave a gentle tug on Hitomi's hand. "We should go inside."

Looking over to him, Hitomi smiled then she took Merle's hand and smiled at her as they walked toward the castle.

As they approached the teen's chambers Van said, "Merle, can you go to the kitchen and ask the chef of prepare something extra special breakfast later as well as for dinner tonight?"

"Of course Lord Van." She turned to leave then suddenly turned back and kissed Hitomi on the cheek. "See you later!" She yelled half way down the hall.

The teen turned a bright red with embarrassment from the unexpected action by the catgirl.

Van looked over at her and smiled. "I'm glad you came back to us so soon."

She smiled back at him but was unable to respond. The intensity of his gaze having stolen her words.

Entering her room she walked over to the window and opened it. Van deposited her bag on the bed then walked over to her. Coming up from behind he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I still can't believe you're back."

"Neither can I really." She placed her hands over his arms and rested her head on his chest. "When I returned to earth, I spent so much time and energy trying to convince my friend, Yukari, that Gaea was real, that you were real. She almost had me convinced it was all just a dream before I pulled out the handkerchief. With that she finally believed. She helped me study for my exams and with other things too."

"Like what?" He asked casually.

"Mostly just keeping me too busy to think about you, so I wouldn't die of a broken heart."

Van tightened his hold on her slightly and rubbed his cheek against the side of her head. "I know the feeling."

Turning around in his arms she looked up at him. "Van, I need to ask you a favor."

"Anything."

"I need you to be strong for both of us when it comes time for me to go. I need you to put on a happy face and tell me everything will be all right then see me off with a kiss and a smile. Can you do that for me? Because of you can't…" She looked away. "I don't know how often I'll be able to come back. I don't know if I can endure the heartache that I suffered last time, again. I know this isn't a fair request but it's something I need from you. Can you do this for me?" She stared back into his eyes hoping he was strong enough to do this for her.

Van stared at her pensively for several minutes even after she was done speaking. Finally he replied. "There is nothing you could ask of me that I wouldn't do for you, Hitomi. If this is what you need from me then this is what you shall receive. All I ask in return is a kiss and for you to tell me you still love me when you return to me."

She smiled lovingly and raised her lips up to his. He responded in kind, tilting his head down and to the side. As their lips met a rush of emotions filled them both. For Hitomi, feelings of loss, separation, her fears of encountering a withered old man rushed into her mind and were in an instant, swept away. She tightened her hold around him and moaned with a hunger and longing that was finally being filled. For Van, feelings of guilt and regret for some of the words he spoke to her before she left. Realization that much of the suffering Hitomi had to endure were because of his selfish desired to have her with him always without ever asking what she wanted. These feeling also vanished. 

__

'She is here, with me again. I will be true to my word. I will wait three years and I will do all I can to make your departures as pleasant as possible. This I promise you Hitomi. This I swear.' He mused as their kiss intensified.

Bounding toward the door, Merle was ready to announce that the chef said breakfast would be ready in an hour but as she stepped into the room she saw the young pair in a loving, passionate embrace. She just stood there for a moment staring then she turned around and pulled the door closed quietly, and walked away. Slowly a gentle smile crossed her face. _'I'm happy for you Lord Van, and you too Hitomi. I'm so glad your back.'_

~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Is it what you expected? I didn't want it to be too over the top. Tender and sweet was what I was shooting for. Sorry it took so long to update. Been kinda busy lately. And sorry to end it where I did. There was much more I wanted to write for this chapter but if I did, it would be another couple days before I would be able to post it. I'll try and get the next chapter out ASAP. ^_^

Thank you for all the reviews of my last chapter. I'm so glad you all liked it and thought I was right on with the Hitomi/Yukari interaction. 

A. Amishi


	46. Chapter 46

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 46

Hitomi's Chambers in the Palace in Fanelia

---

Van sat at the edge of the bed as Hitomi put the items in her bag, away. A faint smile crossed his face as he watched her take out one article of clothing after another. _'She's planning on staying for some time.'_ This thought warmed his heart as he took pleasure in just watching her sort things away. Each time she came back to the bag next to him, she smiled at him before retrieving another item. And each time he smiled back. As the number of items in the bag began to dwindle, Van stole a look over to it and eyed some of its contents. Seeing a strange looking package, he pulled it out of the bag. 

"What are these?" He asked.

Hitomi turned and answered. "Those are called batteries. They are what give the CD player I gave Millerna for her coronation its power. I need to send those to her along with the new CDs I bought for her."

Setting the package back in the bag, he replied. "I'll be sure they get sent to her when our next ship leaves for Asturia in a week."

As he set the package in the bag his hand hit another item. This was a mid-sized box that appeared sealed still. Picking it up he looked it over several times. "What is in here?" He asked.

Having put the last pair of her socks away, she stood and turned to walk toward him when she saw what he had in his hands. "Don't look at that!" She screamed as she ran over to him and snatched the box from his hands. 

"What's wrong?" Van responded in shock. "Is something wrong?"

"It-it's nothing." She turned beet-red with embarrassment. "It's just, these are feminine products. You shouldn't be looking at them." She turned away; too embarrassed to face him.

"Oh." _'Feminine products?'_ "Well, you must be tired. I'll leave you to rest and be back to get you in about an hour for breakfast. Alright?" He got off the bed and started walking for the door.

Quickly she placed the box in the top draw of the dresser, then ran over to him. "Please, don't go. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. Please don't leave."

Smiling at her, the king slowly raised his hand to her cheek. "I'm not angry Hitomi. You didn't upset me in anyway. I just thought you'd like some rest is all."

"Well, I would but… "

"What is it?"

"I can still hardly believe I'm actually here. I don't want to lay down by myself and find this was all just a dream when I wake." She replied sadly.

"Very well. I'll stay with you." He reassured her.

"Good." She said happily as leaned forward, rested her hands on his shoulders, lifted herself up on her toes and kissed him gently on the lips then she gave him a broad smile and darted back over to the bed as she quickly finished putting the rest of her things away. 

Folding the empty duffel bag, she stuck it in the back of the bottom drawer and sighed with relief. "That's it." Then she smiled and walked around to the window-side of the bed where Van was sitting, watching her finish.

"You brought a lot of things this time." The king observed with a smile.

"Mmm," Hitomi sat on the bed and started taking off her socks and shoes. "I brought plenty of workout gear so I can train while I'm over here. Even Yukari thinks I'm good enough to make the first team squad if I train hard enough."

"Oh," A hint of disappointment crossed his face but he quickly recovered and moved the chair closer to the bed. "Well then, we'll just have to make sure you train very hard." He smiled.

Smiling back, the girl from the Mystic Moon laid on her side, resting her head on the pillow and smiled at the man she loved. She reached out with her right hand and Van took it into his. "I just need a little rest and I'll be fine." She said with sleepy eyes. 

"Rest now. I'll be right here when you wake up." He promised.

Still smiling, her eyes slowly closed, as she whispered. "I love you Van."

"I love you Hitomi." He replied softly as she drifted off to sleep. Bending over, he kissed her hand and made slow circles over the back of it with his thumb. "I love you more than life itself."

~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry for the shorter then usual chapter, but I need to work on some of my other fics but I didn't want to leave all of you high and dry for days. Thanks for all the wonderful comments for my last chapter. I'm glad you all liked it. You're words of encouragement are in inspiration to me. 

You know, when I started this story, I thought, okay either I'll be writing this for the better part of the year or for just about a week depending on the responses I receive. With the last chapter, the number of reviews has passed 200. I am overwhelmed. I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to comment on my story. A fellow OLS ff writer said, after I observed that OLS seems to be a dried up source of readership for ff writers, that my Escaflowne fans have spoiled me with all their reviews. I guess he's probably correct but if this is how it feels to be spoiled. I'm loving every minute of it. ^____^

Thank you all. 

A. Amishi


	47. Chapter 47

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 47

Hitomi's Chamber's in the palace at Fanelia

---

Van sat quietly staring at Hitomi while she slept, still running his thumb over the back of her hand. He spent most of his time staring at her tranquil face. Committing to memory all the little things about her features that set her apart from any other woman he knew. He memorized her long dark brown eyelashes, her thin but long eyebrows, her high forehead, her long pointy nose, her strong jaw line and chin, her high cheekbones, her small overbite and her soft, moist lips. For the first time he noticed that her hair was a little bit longer than when she first traveled to Gaea. He hadn't even noticed this detail on her last visit. But now just watching her sleep, it was rather obvious. It wasn't much longer but definitely noticeably longer. Gradually, his eyes traveled down the rest of her body. She was wearing a white blouse with blue trim and a navy blue pleated skirt, about the length of her uniform skirt. 

His eyes grew sad and a slight frown crossed his face. "You're so thin. Were you always this thin?" He looked at her wrist and her hand. Then his eyes traveled over her shoulders, down to her waist, around his hips and down her legs. A faint smile reappeared. "You're thin but not weak." He observed as he studied the muscle definition of her legs. "They appear powerful, and … and long." His smile grew, as his cheeks suddenly felt a bit warm. Looking further down, his smile grew. "You have cute feet."

Slowly he brought his gaze back up to her face, admiring all parts of her on the way back up. "You're so beautiful Hitomi. Why didn't I notice how beautiful you were from the beginning? To think of how callously I treated you back then. Never again. Never will I consider you a nuisance or a burden." He caressed her hand to his cheek and kissed it. "Thank you for loving me, despite myself." Resting his elbows on the bed, he held her hand to his cheek and gazed lovingly at her peaceful face. 

And this was how Hitomi saw him when her eyes slowly fluttered open after about an hour's sleep. Seeing him smiling at her brought a smile to her face. "You stayed."

"You asked me to stay so I stayed."

"If I ask you to kiss me, will you do that as well?" She drew a deep breath, not believing the words that just came out of her mouth.

Without hesitation, Van leaned over and pressed his lips against hers. 

Hitomi moaned her acceptance and pleasure as she brought her free hand up to the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair as they deepened their kiss. 

A firm knock at the door caused Hitomi to open her eyes and break the kiss. Looking up toward the door, Van asked, "Yes what is it?"

One of the servants opened the door but refrained from looking in, stated in a clear loud voice. "My Lord, Lady Hitomi, breakfast is ready and is being served in the main dinning hall."

"Thank you. We will the there shortly."

"Yes my Lord." The servant turned and bowed at the same time so as to divert his eyes. He then turned away and left.

"What was with him?" Hitomi asked as she raised herself up on her elbows, having freed her hand from Van's. 

"I suppose since I've been in your room for more then an hour, the servants suspect something of a cardinal nature may have taken place." He answered.

"Cardinal?" Her eyes grew large instantly as she realized that he meant. "You don't mean they think we?" Sitting up quickly she covered her red face with her hands. "Oh my god!"

Taken by surprise by her reaction, the king replied. "There are worse things that could happen."

Looking up at him, she was filled with embarrassment again. "I didn't mean to imply… It's just that… I'm still a… a… and you're only the second man I've ever kissed… and we haven't even kissed all that much. Now you're saying people think were having ssss… ssss…" She sighed. "I can't even say it." 

Smiling at her as he offered her a hand off the bed, he reassured her. "Don't worry about it Hitomi. There are two things that keep a palace functioning. Servants that perform the day to day tasks, without whom nothing would get done and the rumors they spread that give them something to talk about while they do their work."

"I guess." She replied. 

"Come, you must be hungry by now." He held onto her hand after helping her off the bed. "I'm sure the chief prepared something wonderful for us."

"Well, I didn't eat much today." She smiled. "I can't wait to see." And they made their way out of the room and down the hallway to the dinning hall.

~~~~~~~~~

AN: Hope that was fast enough for an update. ^_^

I hope to be able to update all my stories several time this week. I hope I don't make Van out to look like a voyeur. While we know Van admires Hitomi for her abilities and strength of character, we don't get much of what he thinks of her physically. We know Hitomi things Van is handsome but I haven't really spent much time expressing Van's thoughts about Hitomi's physical appearance. I hope I didn't make it seem either too clinical or too lecherous. Also, with the idea of exercise as sport being a foreign thing to the people of Gaea, I wanted Van to kind of have a miss impression of Hitomi's state of health before he realized that yes she is thin but she's not frail. 

Hope you like this chapter. I'll try and have another one posted by tomorrow. 

Thank you for your comments and support. They are always appreciated.

A. Amishi


	48. Chapter 48

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 48

The Vinsorii Forest

---

Van and Hitomi rode at a casual pace through the forest. 

"Careful, the underbrush is especially thick there." The king pointed in the direction Hitomi was leading her horse. "Follow me this way."

She stopped and redirected her beast to follow after the king. "I don't want to sound like a whinny little kid but how much longer?"

"We're almost there." He assured her with a smile over his shoulder.

And as he promised, in less then five minutes they reached a clearing. The ride to the top of the hill was just another five minutes. 

"Here we go." Van said as he quickly dismounted and took hold of Hitomi's animal, steadying it so he could help the woman he loved down. 

"Thank you." She smiled up at him and slowly blushed as he held her a little longer then he needed to.

"My pleasure." He smiled back. Seeing the pale rose color fill her cheeks, the king quickly turned and took the blanket and saddle bags off his steed, he set the bags down and unrolled the blanket upon the grass. "Have a seat." He gestured.

Nodding with a slight grin on her face, Hitomi obliged her host. 

"Chef Salzer usually prepares wonderful picnics but having to place everything in two saddle bags, I'm afraid may have been too much of a challenge even for the royal chef." He joked with a smile as he searched to contents of the bags while sitting next to his companion.

To the young king's surprise the chef managed to place a full five-course meal for two having carefully wrapped each item, including a small bottle of wine. 

As they ate, Hitomi asked, "So, what was so special about this place?" 

Wiping his hands with a napkin, he pointed over her shoulder. "Look behind you."

Hitomi gasped with wonder as she saw the long serpentine course of the Vinsorii River as it made its way through the forest. "Oh, that's so beautiful."

"Now look over there." Van pointed to the right of her in the general direction they had just come from. 

"Oh, it's Fanelia." She said as she saw the capital in the distance, nestled between the mountains.

"And over there." He turned and pointed to his left. 

"It's the sea and the port." She smiled. "You can see it all from here."

"Mmm, hmm. I was sitting right here looking out at the sea when I got the idea to build a merchant fleet. I was looking up at the stars one night then looked down and saw the reflection of the starts off the river when I got the idea for the aqueduct. I've spent many days, and night here. Thinking of my kingdom, thinking of my people. Thinking of you." He gazed at her intensely.

She smiled at him but after a few moments the intensity of his stare was more than she could bear at the moment. Quickly she poured herself a cup of wine and drank it down, making a point not to look at him.

After a moment she scolded herself for her rudeness as she reached for a second cup. "Would you like some wine?" She asked.

"No thank you." He replied, never taking his eyes off of her.

"No? Are you sure?" She looked up at him, a bit surprised.

"I promised Merle I wouldn't drink for awhile." He answered.

"Oh. Okay." She poured herself a little more then set the bottle down.

"Hitomi, what's wrong?" The young king asked.

"Wrong?" She smiled at him. "Nothing's wrong."

He just stared at her without accusation, patiently waiting for an answer.

Again she turned away. "You're right. I can't lie to you. Funny, I don't seem to have a problem lying to my parents these days but to you." She looked back at him. "It's just that… I'm afraid Van."

"Afraid of what?" His eyes grew sad as he tried to understand.

"You have no idea how hard it was to leave last time. I cried in Yukari's arms for so long that first night away from here. And the past three weeks, I can't even begin to explain what it was like being away from you all that time." Her eyes clouded up with unshed tears.

Moving closer to his true love, Van asked. "What are you saying Hitomi? Are you saying … are you saying it hurts too much to be with me anymore?" As he felt his heart breaking.

Turning quickly, she stared at him, her eyes as wide as saucers. "NO! God, no! I love you Van, I want to be with you always." She through her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like…" She tightened her hold on him. "I'm sorry."

"Shhh, it's all right. It's all right." He gently stroked her hair with one hand while holding her tight with the other. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

Struggling to regain her composure, Hitomi whispered. "It's just … after the kisses we shared this morning… and now coming here to this beautiful place and sharing a romantic picnic together. I'm … I'm just afraid we may be moving too fast. I just thing we should try to slow things down a little. I hope you can understand?" She held him tight, not wanting to have to look up at him when he gave his response.

Van considered her words for a moment then kissed her on top of her head and pressed his cheek against her forehead. Not sure what to say or how to say it, he simply held her close for several minutes.

Finally Van said, "You know Hitomi, I think in any relationship, when two people love each other so much it hurts, it's inevitable that some heartache will take place. And in our situation even more so. I suppose finding forbidden love runs in my family. My father fell in love with a Draconian and I've fallen in love with a girl from the Mystic Moon. Perhaps we were both a little naïve to think this was going to be easy. But if we love each other enough, we can make this work." Pulling back slightly so he could look into her eyes he asked. "The question then becomes, do we love each other enough to make this work? I have to admit. When you left yesterday, I was beside myself with heartache. And I'm not going to kid myself into believing that this is going to get any easier. But I also know that I love you too much to ever let you go. You're in my heart and in my soul Hitomi. And I'll endure what ever separation we must if it means that eventually you will come back to me."

Looking up into his eyes and hearing his words of love gave the girl from the Mystic Moon the strength she needed. She smiled up at him then pulled his head down allowing their lips to meet. She kissed him with the hunger and passion that had consumed her for the past three weeks. The depth and desire of her kiss caught Van by surprise as his eyes went wide but only for a moment as he shared in the passion and desire of the moment. 

When their lips finally separated, he smiled at her pressing his forehead to hers and whispered. "Can I assume that was your answer?" 

Hitomi blushed slightly as she too smiled and nodded to the affirmative, keeping her forehead in contact with his. They stayed like this for some time; their eyes closed but still in each other's arms. Countless love songs ran through Hitomi's mind but none of them seemed to even come close to describing the depth of her feelings for this man. 

After a little while longer, Van suggested that they finish their lunch. "We can ride down to the coast, by the port before heading back to the castle."

"I'd like that." Hitomi grinned.

They finished and cleaned up in a matter of minutes then mounted their horses and rode off.

Over at the port, things where still very busy. Though all the ships had been unloaded yesterday, arranging transportation for everything was proving more difficult than previously anticipated. Though Fanelia had been trading with Asturia for several months now, this shipment of goods was the largest by far. As Van explained the complications to Hitomi, she came to what seemed like the inevitable conclusion.

"Sounds like you need to build a harbor town here." She said matter of factly.

"That was what I was thinking." Van said as she rode beside him. "But with the amount of manpower needed for the aqueduct, we won't be able to seriously consider building one for at least a few years."

"Mmm, that's a shame." She continued next to him, enjoying the fresh air.

"It is, especially with our trade expanding faster than we anticipated." He said.

They rode the length of the port before heading back to the city. And as they did, Hitomi asked. "So have you thought of a name for the town, when you do finally get around to building it, of course?"

"Hmm, not really, but Merle had an idea." The young king grinned.

"Really? What was it?" She asked.

"She suggested, Merleville." Van smiled.

"Merleville? Oh brother! Sounds like something Merle would think up." Hitomi shook her head in disbelief, then muttered to herself, "Merleville."

Van laughed as he reached out and took Hitomi's hand just for a moment. Smiling at her, she blushed, just a bit but smiled back. Releasing her hand they rode the rest of the way back in peaceful silence.

~~~~~~~~

AN: I don't know why but I had a real hard time with this chapter. I had an idea of what I wanted to say but it just wasn't coming together for me. I hope the final result meets with your approval. The next chapter should be easier, I think. ^_^

You know, I've read a lot of fan fiction over the years and one of the things that always bothered me a little was when authors would say in the ANs that they love their fans. I mean, other than their comments, you don't really now your fans. How can you say you love them? Right? But you know. So very many of you have been so kind as to review virtually every chapter and your comments are always so uplifting and reassuring. I've had that sentiment for some time now but have been afraid to express it. Funny, isn't it? Here I am writing about people in love and here I am afraid to say I love you to the people who have been so very kind to me. ***sniff sniff*** Well, no more. I want to say thank you for your wonderful comments and that I love you all. I really do. ^_! 

Okay, now that I've recomposed myself. Just thought I'd mention another AMV I've found. This one is called, "Glory of Love" by Daniel Chang and features music by Peter Cetera. I think Daniel did a wonderful job of blending scenes from Escaflowne that really matched the song. And that song holds a special place in my heart already so for me it is a winner. If you think so too, be sure to let Daniel know that. Believe me you'll make his day. ^_^

One other think I wanted to mention. I've been feeling really guilty recently cause while all of you have been so very generous with your reviews and comments, I haven't read anyone else's stories. To be honest, I have yet to read a single Escaflowne fanfiction and I feel really bad about that. As you know, I'm working on four stories at once as well as editing several others for other authors. But I like to believe I can still make time to read good ff. If you have a story you're particularly proud of, please let me know. I'd love to read it. 

Thanks, each and every one of you. 

A. Amishi

Updated A/N: Okay, I must say, this ending of the chapter seems to work better. And will work with my subsequent chapters as well. Thanks for the comments the let me know my original write up just didn't work. I agree, it didn't. But at the time, I just couldn't come up with anything else. Hope you prefer this ending. ^_^

A. Amishi


	49. Chapter 49

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 49

In the king's private dinning room 

---

"Did Ma'Lady enjoy her meal?" The servant asked, removing the empty plate from in front of her.

"Oh, yes, very much so; please give Chef Salzer my complements. It was the finest meal I've had since I've been here." She smiled.

"Thank you Ma'Lady, I'll be sure to let the chef know." He bowed deeply and retrieved Van and Merle's plates as well. "I hope you left room for dessert." He grinned then left for the kitchen.

"Do you know what Chef Salzer prepared for dessert Merle?" The king asked as he reached for his goblet of water.

The catgirl nodded enthusiastically. "His specialty." She licked her lips in anticipation.

"What's that?" The older teen asked.

"Baked gorboun fruit with mint cream." The young girl salivated.

"Merle, you're drooling." The older teen pointed out.

"Aaa!" The catgirl grabbed her napkin and wiped her mouth then patted the lap of her dress dry as well.

Van laughed at the sight, "Don't worry Merle, no one can blame you. It is awfully good." 

"Is it really that special. Baked fruit and cream doesn't sound all that unique." Hitomi pointed out. "I mean, I'm sure its good but…"

"It's the way Chef Salzer prepares it that makes it so special." Van replied.

Just then one of Van's aids walked into the room. "Lord Van, your presence is requested at the Vinsorii River at the sight of the aqueduct." 

"At whose request?" Van asked.

"Sir Baschan my Lord." 

"I see. Very well, ready my horse." The king instructed.

"Very good my Lord." The aid bowed then turned and left.

"Is something wrong?" Worry crossed Hitomi's face as she watched Van rise from his seat. 

"I'm sure its nothing terribly important but I better go and check." He forced a smile. 

"Can I come with you?" She asked.

"I'm sure its nothing. Stay and enjoy your dessert. Believe me it will be worth it. And be sure Merle doesn't eat it all. I'll want some when I return." He teased.

"Meow!" The catgirl pouted, folding her arms across her chest.

Laughing silently, the young king walked over to Hitomi and ran his hand through her hair. "If I'm needed for more then an hour, I will send word to you." He promised as he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

They smiled at each other for a moment then the king turned to leave. Calling over his shoulder, he said, "Remember to save me some Merle."

"Yes Lord Van." She continued to pout.

After a few minutes of silence, Hitomi asked. "Do you think he'll be long?"

Merle shrugged. "The last time Sir Baschan called on Lord Van, he didn't return to the castle for three days."

"Three days!" The teen's eyes went wide.

"Sir Baschan doesn't make a habit of bothering Lord Van unless it's really important." The catgirl pointed out.

The teen's continence fell at this thought. Just then the kitchen servant returned with three servings of the chef's special dessert.

"I hope you like this. I believe Chef Salzer outdid himself this time." He said cheerfully as he approached the table. Seeing Van was no longer there he gave a questioning look but did not say anything.

"He was called away." Hitomi said.

Nodding his understanding he served the two young ladies and turned to leave. 

"You can leave Lord Van's plate." Merle said. "He should be back in a little while." She grinned.

The girl from the Mystic Moon shot her a look. "But you just said…"

"Forget what I just said." The catgirl stared at her friend. "He'll be right back." She said through gritted teeth.

"He said to save him some, not eat it on him." The teen stared back.

"It's not a problem ladies. I'll just inform the chef to prepare a few additional servings." He smiled. "Will either of you like an additional serving."

Without hesitation Merle screamed, "Yes!" as she started eating the dessert in front of her.

"Well, I don't know." Hitomi said then picked up her fork and sampled a piece. "Mmm, that's delicious. Yes, yes, please, I'd like another serving as well." She placed another forkful in her mouth and savored the rich sweet and tangy flavor. 

Setting the third plate down on the table, the servant said. "I'll just leave this one here… just in case Lord Van returns. I'll be back with your other servings shortly." He turned and left, struggling with all his might to keep from laughing with amusement. 

As the two girls enjoyed their dessert, each began to eye the third plate. Stealing a glance at the catgirl, Hitomi noticed Merle was further along with her dessert than she was, so she ate faster. After about a minute, Merle noticed this and she began eating faster as well, their eyes moving as rapidly as their forks, darting at each other and at the third plate. Finishing at the same time they both reached for the third plate.

"Don't even think about it." Hitomi glared.

"Back off or you'll be pulling back a stump." Merle snarled.

"Big talk from a little fur-ball." The older girl shot back.

"This fur-ball has teeth." And she bared them in an intimidating manner.

Balling up her the fist of her free hand, the teen retorted, "Try anything and you'll be missing a few of those teeth."

Not having anything else to say to each other, they remained motionless just glaring as each other waiting for the other to back down.

"Hmm, excuse me." The kitchen servant said from the doorway, a mixed expression of fear and uncertainty on his face.

Both girls turned abruptly to look in his direction.

"I thought you might want some more already." He said timidly.

"Chef Salver made more already?" Merle asked.

"No. Actually he anticipated everyone wanting seconds so he prepared extras." Slowly he walked forward.

Just as slowly both girls took their hands off the third plate and sat up straight trying to pretend nothing had happened as they each smiled innocently at the servant.

Carefully, the young man placed the new plates before each girl and removed the used ones. This caused both girls to smile broadly. But when he reached for the third plate he heard Merle snarl and Hitomi's fists hit the table. Looking up at the two females he saw his life flash before his eyes as he feared for his life if he removed the plate from the table. Slowly reaching into his pocket he pulled out a short bread knife causing the two girls to gasp. Ignoring their reaction, he cut the dessert on the third plate in half and scooped each half onto their plates. Smiling nervously at them he took the third plate and left the room.

The two young women looked down at their plates and smiled widely as they picked up their forks. Then they looked up at each other, both giving the other a big toothy grin before they started eating. Thirty minutes later a different kitchen servant entered the room with two more servings of the luscious dessert.

Ten minutes after finishing their third serving, both girls moaned in pain. Hitomi sat doubled over with her hands over her stomach and her forehead pressed against the table. Merle sat with her chair leaned back on its back legs with her feet on the table as she slowly stroked her stomach in a circular fashion.

"I can't believe I ate all that. It's so embarrassing. I'm just glad Van wasn't here to see me make a pig of myself." Hitomi murmured. "This is definitely not how I wanted my trip here to be like." She moaned again.

"What do you mean? What did you want it to be like?" Merle asked trying to get her mind off her own pain.

"I was going to train so I could be better prepared for the summer practices." She explained.

Merle sat up. "So you only came here so you could train?" A look of disappointment etched on her face.

Hitomi looked up. "No! I came to be with Van, but I know I can't be with him every minute of the day. So I thought I'd take a couple hours each day to workout, otherwise I'll be terribly out of shape for the summer practices and I won't have any chance at making the first squad." 

"Oh," Merle thought about this for a moment. "So what do you do? I mean, how do you train?"

"Basically I run." She said.

"You run?" The catgirl gave her a confused stare. "That's it?"

"Will I am a sprinter." The teen informed her.

"So, could you use some help with your training?" The younger girl asked.

"Are you offering?" The teen smiled despite the pain.

"Well I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't offering." Merle said sarcastically.

"Sure, but I'm warning you. It won't be easy. Training is hard work." Hitomi warned.

The catgirl waved her off, dismissing her friends warning. "Don't worry about me. You just make sure you can keep up with me."

"Awww" they both moaned. 

"I think right now a slow walk around the castle may be what the doctor ordered." The teen said as she got up from her chair and headed for the door. 

"Wait for me." Merle slowly got up and followed her.

"I sure hope Van's okay?" Hitomi wondered out loud.

"You worry too much." Merle teased.

"I can't help it. I love him." She said with a faint smile.

Merle didn't reply; she just looked over at her friend and smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Okay, I admit it, I was going for some laughs here. Well, at least some mildly amused chuckles. ^_^ Sorry but Fushizen na inspired me with her two "A Girl for …" shorts. Funny stuff. ^_^

It's funny how Merle always seems to bring out the worst in Hitomi. :P Guess it's just their personalities. 

Thanks everyone for your suggestions of fanfics I can read. Hope to get around to them soon. Also, thanks for the comments on the last chapter. It was the latter part that I had a problem with. I may go back and revise it some time. If and when I do, I'll let you know. 

Have a great day everyone, I love you.

A. Amishi


	50. Chapter 50

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 50

AN: Just to let you know, dictionary.com defines cubit as an ancient form of measurement from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow ranging about 17 to 22 inches. For my purposes, you can forget that. On Gaea a cubit is 2 meters. So 5 cubits = 10 meters and so on. Just wanted to make that clear.

Along the Vinsorii River

---

Van rode up along the river, coming to a stop at the work camp, in front of the overseer's tent. As he dismounted Sir Baschan and the chief architect exited the tent.

"Sir Baschan, Master Forsim, what seems to be the problem?" The king asked.

"A thousand pardons my Lord. We would not have disturbed your dinner had it not been of the utmost importance." The minister of the interior said, holding out a small rock for the king to take.

Van took it and looked it over carefully. "Iron ore?"

"Yes my Lord." The minister confirmed.

"What of it?" The king inquired.

Walking around the tent to the backside so they had a clear view of the trench that was being dug, Van could see that work was stopped about seventy cubits from the river. Pointing at where work had stopped, Sir Baschan explained. "We hit a large ore deposit, five cubits down at that point. As you know we need to dig ten cubits deep for the aqueduct. I had the crew dig fifteen cubits down and still we could not reach the bottom of the deposit."

Thinking for a moment Van replied. "So just adjust the path around the deposit."

"That was what we intended to do but in order to save time and man power, I had survey teams dig holes ten cubits from each side of the current sight. They too hit iron ore five cubits down. So we continued to have them move an addition ten cubits further away. At last report, they encountered the ore in each dig up to eighty cubits away. We should be getting another report from them shortly."

"In addition," Added the chief architect. "We started sending teams into the forest to see if we can determine how wide this iron ore deposit is. So far we have determined that it is at least forty cubits wide."

The disappointment in the young kings face was obvious. He turned and looked at the river. The river that held his hopes and dreams for a prosperous future for his people raced on by, oblivious of the lofty plans the young king had for its precious waters. Holding the rock up and inspecting it closely he asked. "Is the ore mixed in with the soil? If so, we can still dig it out. It will just be more difficult."

"Unfortunately, no my Lord." The minister said. "That is simply a small sample that was broken off. The ore is one solid rock."

Van squeezed his eyes shut as he squeezed down on the rock.

"There may still be some hope my Lord." Master Forsim said.

The king turned around.

"Allow me to show you." The chief architect gestured toward the tent.

Inside, on a large table in the middle was a map of the surrounding countryside. "We can still build the aqueduct even if we have to begin as much as 200 cubits further upstream. Beyond that, there are too many obstacles to make the work feasible. But 200 cubits is doable. In addition we can bring it nearly 80 cubits further out then we had originally planned and still divert it back into the city while maintaining the necessary water flow. Of course this will all be mute if …"

"If what?" The young king asked.

"If the entire countryside is sitting on a giant ore deposit. If that is the case, then there is nothing we can do. Building the aqueduct would be impossible."

"How long before we will know the dimensions of the deposit?"

"It will most likely be well into the night before we will know for sure. Possibly not until early tomorrow morning." Sir Baschan said. "We will send word to you at the palace once we know my Lord."

"No. I will stay here. We will try and see if other alternatives can be reached in anticipation of the worst case scenario." He turned and walked out of the tent. Spotting an aid he gestured to the young man to come to him.

"Yes my Lord." The fair-haired boy bowed.

"Return to the palace. Inform Lady Hitomi that I will not be returning tonight. Extend my deepest regrets and tell her… tell her I hope to join her for our mid-day meal tomorrow." He instructed the aid.

"Yes my Lord." The lad bowed again then mounted his horse and rode off. 

After the aid rode out of sight, Van walked over to the river's shore and stared pensively out at its racing waters. Several moments passed when he realized he still held the iron ore in his hand. Looking down at it, a deep frown etched itself upon his face and letting out an angry yell, hurling the stone far out into the river. 

The minister of the interior and the chief architect watched their king from the entrance of the tent; their hearts heavy with sadness for their young ruler.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry no Hitomi this time around but don't worry, she'll be back next chapter. As for Van, well things can't always go as we like them to. If they did, then anyone could be king. ^_^ 

Hope this update was fast enough for everyone. ^_^

Thank you for you comments, I'm glad I was able to make some of you laugh with my last chapter. Things are taking a more serious turn now. Hope you like it.

A. Amishi


	51. CHapter 51

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 51

Hitomi's Chambers in the Palace 

---

Sitting at the open bay window, Hitomi looked out over the city and sighed. She had hoped to spend part of the night staring up at the stars in Van's arms but that was not to be. The aid that delivered the king's message was unable to provide any details and despite her own desire to go to Van, she decided to listen to Merle, who recommended she wait to see him the next day as he had indicated in the message. The sun had long since gone down for the night and the moons were high in the sky, casting a surreal pale blue light upon the city. There wasn't much activity going on in the city streets. Most everyone had gone to sleep. Merle was already asleep now, having promised to get up early and join Hitomi on her run. 

Sighing once again, the young teen turned and looked at her battery-powered alarm clock that was sitting on the dresser. _'It's late, I really should get to sleep.'_ She told herself then she slid down from the window and walked over to the dresser. She ran her hand over the intricately carved wood, and smiled. 

The memory of Merle dragging Van and her around the Asturia shopping district came rushing back to her. Van had hinted at the prospect of replacing some of the functional but plain Fanelian furniture in the castle with the more ornate Asturian furniture. By chance they had ended up in the shop of a master carpenter who had many of his works in palaces all over Gaea. While all his work was normally custom designed and all handmade with orders taking anywhere from a few weeks to up to a year to complete, he was in the unusual position of having a houseful of furniture made and ready to sell. 

He explained how a wealthy landowner had placed an order with him to have the home he had purchased for his daughter filled with furniture. The home and furnishings were to be his wedding gift to her, but two days before the furniture was to be picked up, her daughter ran off with a stable hand and fled the country. Furious, the wealthy landowner intended to have the furniture chopped up into kindling and burned along with the house he had build for his _"ungrateful daughter"_. Hearing what the man planned to do with the furniture he had spent so much time and energy making, the carpenter refused to sell it to him, preferring to return to him the down payment he was given. In a moment of unusual generosity, the landowner told the carpenter he could keep the furniture and the down payment as long as he did not sell any of the pieces to anyone in Asturia. Being a man of the land, the rich man never left his homeland. So if the pieces were sold outside of his country's borders, he was assured of never having to lay eyes on them again, thus he would never be reminded of his daughter's rebellion. Agreeing to the arrangement, the carpenter had only managed to sell one piece, a large dinning room table in the past month. While he was accustomed to making furniture for foreigners, they always insisted on custom carvings featuring aspects of their homeland. Because of this he had been unable to sell the finished works.

That was until Merle took a look at them. She immediately fell in love with one of the bedroom sets and insisted that the other set be purchased for Hitomi's room. It didn't take much for her to convince Van to make the purchases. The teen smiled as she recalled the enthusiastic grin the catgirl had as she ran from piece to piece, admiring the craftsmanship and beauty of each piece. The dresser she was running her hand over had only been brought in that afternoon. All her belongings carefully moved from the old dresser to the new one by the handmaids that kept the rooms. Looking up she admired the frame around the mirror that was connected to the dresser. Supposedly this was the newest fashion in Asturia. While having a mirror over a vanity table was common, to have a mirror over a dresser was a very rare thing. 

Shifting her gaze to the mirror, she studied her reflection and smiled as he looked at the nightgown she had on. While Fanelia was not known for their carpentry, they were known for their textiles. The gown was cream colored with brown trim. It had short puffy sleeves and a scooped neckline that stretched like elastic but she was sure there was no elastic in it. It had a similar elastic-like band just below her breasts and at the waist. She ran her hands over the fabric, _'Mmm, looks and feels like silk but it's warm and comfortable like flannel.'_

Gradually her attention went from the gown itself to how she looked in the gown. _'Who ever designed this knew how to complement a woman's figure. With the puffy sleeves and waist band you'd think I had the perfect hourglass figure.'_ She mused as she held her arms away from her body. 

Turning from side to side, she thought. _'And the gathering below the breast really makes them stand out. Even ones as small as mine.' _

Turning to face the mirror once again, she thought out loud. "I wonder…" 

She pulled on the neckline until she had it off her shoulders and slid it down just enough so she had some cleavage showing. Then she took a step back and curtsied low but kept her head up. "You called for me Lord Van." 

Looking at her own reflection, she saw the adjustment she made produced the desired result. She straightened up and giggled. _'How would Van react if I gave him an eye full like that?'_

Feeling quite silly all of a sudden she stepped forward and placed her hands on the dresser, leaned forward and arched her back. "Van, I think I may have something in my eye, can you check please." Then she fluttered her lashes. 

She covered her mouth with her hands as she giggled louder this time. 

"Oh, oh!" She reached down to the floor and grabbed the hem of the gown, holding it at one point; she raised it all the way up till the edge of her panties were visible at her right hip. Bending her right leg so it could clearly be seen she again leaned forward just a touch. "Van, I think I have a bruise on my hip, can you take a look?" She smiled wickedly at herself in the mirror. 

Suddenly a thought occurred to her and she dropped the hem. "I'm not a tease." 

She stared at herself in the mirror. "That would be a terrible thing to do to Van." 

She quickly pulled the neckline back up over her shoulders and adjusted it so no cleavage was visible. "I love him, I don't want to play with his emotions." 

A very serious expression appeared on her face. "That's not who you are, so don't even think about it."

She ran her hands over her face then looked at her reflection once again. "I can't believe I even acted like that."

Shaking her head, she turned away from the dressed and got in bed. "I'm tired. That's all. I was acting silly because I was tired." 

Fluffing up her pillow, she continued. "That's my story, and I'm sticking with it." 

Resting her head on the pillow she closed her eyes and hoped sleep would come quickly since thinking about what she had been doing was rapidly becoming too embarrassing to bear. Fortunately, the comfort of her bed, the pleasant Fanelia air and the stillness of the night worked their magic on her and she was asleep in less then a minute.

~~~~~~~~~

AN: Believe it or not, I did not intend to write an entire chapter about Hitomi alone in her bedroom. It was just going to be a couple of paragraphs then move on to the next morning. But the more I wrote, the more I needed to write. I'm sure you've all experience that at one point or other in your writing. 

Got to say though, I'm not at all unpleased with what I came up with. I find Hitomi such a pleasure to write for. She's not the most alluring or enticing female character in anime but she's so colorful with such wonderful depth. Those who haven't paid close attention to her in the series may think she's either just an overly cheerful, or overly melodramatic character but she has so many facets to her personality that it's a pleasure to watch the show over and over again just to find other little aspects of her persona that I may have missed before. 

Anyway, hope this update was fast enough for everyone. ^_^ I had started writing my chapters a little longer but after it took me I think almost 4 or 5 days to do an update, I figured I'd go back to keeping them short. This way, as I have an idea I can write it and post it rather then try and fill in extra pages with filler. I think that's what happened to me a couple of chapters ago. I apologize for that. I gave you something that was not up to my usual standards and I genuinely regret that. 

I hope you like this look at our heroine. Next up, Merle learns that there is running and then there is running. ^_^ Or Van finds out the good news or bad news. Haven't decided which to write yet.

Oh, by the way, before you start sending me comments like, "Her alarm clock wasn't on her list of things to take." Just remember I took you through the end of the list but I never said I started at the beginning of the list. ^_~ Nice way to cover my ass, don't you thing. ^_^

Thanks for you comments, critics, suggestions and words of encouragement. I cherish each and every one of them. 

A. Amishi


	52. Chapter 52

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 52

In Hitomi's Chamber at the palace in Fanelia

---

The girl from the Mystic Moon slowly roused from her deep slumber as her alarm clock beeped continuously. _'God, that is so annoying.'_ She moaned as she slowly rolled out of bed and walked over to the dresser to turn it off. Looking up at her reflection in the mirror she thought, _'Ugh, I look as tired as I feel. I need more sleep.'_ And she turned to go back to bed. Collapsing on the bed, she closed her eyes and sighed as she reached for her pillow and pulled it down to her, rolling on her side and hugging it closely.

After a few moments she let out another sigh and slowly opened her eyes. 

"No, if I'm going to do this, I need to stick with a schedule." 

She grudgingly pulled herself out of bed once again and walked over to the wash table. There she poured some water from the pitcher into the washbasin, then splashed her face several times. 

"Ah." 

She grabbed the towel next to her and patted her face dry. 

"That's better." 

Setting the towel aside, she went to the dresser and pulled out a sports bra, her running shorts, and a T-shirt as well as her warm up suit and a pair of sweat socks. Setting everything on the bed she quickly changed then grabbed her running shoes, slipped them on and laced them up. 

"Hope you're ready for some real running today Merle." She smiled to herself as she grabbing her track shoes and walked to the door. "Not having seen Van since last evening, I've got a lot of anxiety to run off." 

On the other side of the castle, Merle tossed her head from side to side. With her window open same as Hitomi's, she was able to hear the sound of her friend's alarm with her keen hearing. Though it was very faint, the unusual rhythmic sound was something the catgirl had never heard before and it slowly stirred her awake. Forcing herself to sit up, she managed to barely open her eyes as she smacked her mouth open and closed several times while scratching her stomach. Stretching with her arms high above her head she let out a silent yawn then looked out toward the window. Her window gave her a view of the forest behind the castle and while she couldn't see the sun from here she could tell by the faint glow that filled the valley that dawn was just breaking through. 

"Ugh, it's too early!" She let herself fall back onto the bed. 

"That girl is crazy. Getting up this early to go run." She closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.

Some time later, how long, she did not know, the catgirl felt herself being shaken roughly, her head and shoulders bouncing up and down from the bed.

"Get up already Merle." Hitomi commanded.

"Okay, okay, just stop shaking me." The catgirl said in a strained voice.

Sitting back up, the catgirl flung the blankets off her legs and swung them off the bed. Slipping her sandals on, she slid off the bed and yawned, "Okay, lets go."

"You sleep in your clothes?" Hitomi asked staring at her sleepy friend.

The catgirl nodded, her eyes barely opened.

"Well, you can't go running in sandals and a dress. You need proper running clothes." The sprinter insisted.

"What are you talking about? We're going to run, not battle dragons."

"Still" The girl with the emerald-eyes walked over to the dresser and started pulling open the drawers.

"What are you looking for?" The catgirl asked.

"A pair of shorts or pants." After looking in the last drawer, she turned to her friend and said. "Merle, you have no clothes in this dresser."

"I know that." She replied, her eyes slowly beginning to show signs of opening.

"Don't you own any clothes?" The taller girl asked.

"Of course I have clothes, they're in there." She yawned while pointing to the chifforobe.

Hitomi walked over to the chifforobe and pointed its doors open. Hanging were about twenty dresses all identical to the one Merle was already wearing. "Unbelievable." Then she started searching through the drawers only to find them all empty. "Merle, are these the only clothes you own?" She gestured to the dresses.

The catgirl nodded her head while yawning once again.

"What a minute, you mean to tell me you don't own any underwear?" Shock was written all over the teen's face.

Shaking her head the catgirl answered, "No."

"That's obscene, that… that's perverted!" The teen screamed.

"Haven't you ever noticed? My dress never rides up and its not like I make a habit of flashing people." The feline responded.

"Still, what if someone stole a peak?" The sprinter asked.

"Then it's their perversion, not mine." Tired of talking she started walking toward to door.

Hitomi stood staring at where the catgirl had been, too shocked to move, to even breathe.

"Are you coming or what?" Merle called from down the hall.

"Unbelievable." Was all she could say as she walked out the room.

"What are you doing?" The catgirl stared at her friend who was sitting on the grass; her legs stretched out in front of her as she grabbed the soles of her shoes with her fingers and brought her head down to her knees.

"Stretching." The teen said in a strained voice.

"I can see that. Why?" The younger teen stood a short distance away with her arms folded over her chest, tapping the ground with her foot as she waited impatiently.

"It's important to properly warm up your muscles before running in order to prevent injury." The teen responded. Now she had her legs separated wide but still straight, and she was leaning toward one leg then the other.

"You read that out of a book, didn't you?" The catgirl teased.

"It's commonsense, every serious runner knows this." The teen replied.

"Whatever. Just hurry up. I'm getting bored just standing here." Merle replied.

"You should stretch out too." The teen suggested.

Merle gave her a sarcastic look then clasped her hands together and stretched them over her head allowing her fingers to gradually untwine as she brought her arms out to the side. Taking a deep breath, she meowed and said, "There, I'm stretched. Now let's go."

"Just give me a minute, I'm almost done." Hitomi said as she stretched her thighs.

"Ugh! I could have been sleeping still." Merle whined, throwing her arms up in the air in disgust.

"I said just a minute! Sheesh!" The teen fumed. _'I'll show her. I'll make her regret she didn't stretch out.'_

Stretching her calves one more time, she finally said, "Okay, let's go."

"It's about time." Where are we running to?" The catgirl asked.

"I thought we'd follow that path to the sea. There's a nice clearing over there we can use for sprints afterward. Come on, I'll take it easy on you right now." She grabbed her track shoes and started running along the path that took them to the front to the castle and down to the city below.

"Ha! You just make sure you can keep up with me." Merle started out running upright like Hitomi. 

They maintained a nice steady pace as they made their way down to the city streets. As the sun made its way over the distant mountain horizon, the city slowly begin to stir with life but the streets were still deserted enough so as not to pose any problems for the two girls as they ran.

As she easily maintained the pace set by Hitomi while still running like a human, overconfidence quickly overcame the catgirl.

"Is this the best you can do?" She mocked. "I know oxen that walk faster than this."

"Feel free to set the pace if you like." The teen said, hiding her smile.

"My pleasure," and with that the catgirl started running on all fours as she quickly pulled away from Hitomi. 

The teen let her stay a few strides ahead of her as they made their way through the city but as the city gate came into view, she quickened her pace to catch up. As they passed through the gate, Hitomi waved at the sentries who were on guard and who gladly waved back. 

Once they reached the path that lead to the sea, Hitomi said, "This is a pretty quick pace you've got going Merle but if you don't mind, I think I'd like to run at my normal pace now." Not waiting for a reply, the teen kicked it up a couple notches and left the catgirl in the dust.

"MIAO!" She screamed as she struggled to catch up.

Estimating the distance from the castle to the sea to be about 10 km, Hitomi focused all her thoughts on maintaining proper form so as to waste as little energy as possible. To this end she ran with a nice even stride, her arms moving smoothly, front to back, her posture perfectly erect, and her breathing steady and long. While never an outstanding distance runner, she still enjoyed running distances, being one of the fortunate people who actually experienced the elusive runner's high. Unfortunately, for Merle, just as she was closing the distance between her and her long, lanky friend, the rush of that high hit and while it did not appear as if she had quickened her pace any, Hitomi began to pull away from her once again.

"Damn it!" The catgirl screamed between forced breaths. "How does she do it?"

It took them about 45 minutes to reach the sea and the port that serviced the Fanelian Merchant Fleet. As she reached the clearing, Hitomi slowed down to a walk as she caught her breath. Looking back down the path she was unable to see Merle but after a few seconds the catgirl came from around the bend into sight. It was pretty obvious that she was limping but she refused to stop running as she continued on the last thirty meters to Hitomi.

Finally catching up to the older teen the catgirl slowed to a walk then stopped, placing her hands on her knees as she strained to catch her breath. "How can you run so long, so fast?" She wheezed.

"Don't stop walking." Hitomi told her as she continued along the path.

"Huh?" The catgirl looked up only to see her friend several steps away from her already. "Hey! Stop already." She limped to catch up.

"Just like you need to warm up the muscles when you start running, you need to cool them down when you're done, and the way you do that is to keep moving." The sprinter said as she casually made her way to the field where she planned on practicing her sprints.

"You and your expert advice." Merle scoffed.

"Why are you limping?" Hitomi asked, not taking the time to look back.

"Aaa, I … Aaa … I" The younger girl instinctively grabbed the back of her left leg as she felt it tighten painfully. "I don't know. My leg got real tight all of a sudden and started hurting."

Glancing back at her, Hitomi said. "You got a cramp. That might not have happened if you stretched out properly."

"Hmm, know it all." The catgirl whispered.

"I don't know it all but I do know about running." The teen said as she came to a stop at one end of the field. "Hmm, yes. This should be more than long enough."

"Now what?" 

"Now comes the real training." The teen said looking over at her friend. "That run was just the warm up."

"Aaah! You're kidding me. ARR!" She clinched her teeth in pain.

Taking sympathy on her friend, Hitomi told her, "Lay down. I'll help you loosen the knot in your leg."

Being in too much pain to argue the catgirl plopped down on the grass.

"Umm, Merle, you need to roll over."

"Oh, okay." As she did as her friend instructed. "Just don't go peeking up my dress." She teased.

"Aaa, as if… oww." The teen kneeled next to her friend. "This is going to hurt but trust me it will make it feel better afterward." She said as she started rubbing the cramped muscle.

"Aaa!" The catgirl cried out as she kicked her feet up and down and banged on the ground with hands.

"Just relax. It won't hurt as much if you relax." The teen explained as she continued to work the muscle.

After a few minutes, she could feel the muscle loosen up. Continuing to massage the problem area a little while longer she finally told Merle to roll over and sit up. Then she got behind her and helped her stretch the leg.

"Okay, here stand up." She offered her hand to help the girl up. "Try walking around on it."

Merle nodded, she took a few steps away from her friend then turned around and walked back. "It still hurts but not as much and it's not pulling anymore." She said as she hobbled to a stop.

"Good, well sit back down and keep stretching it otherwise it might cramp back up." Hitomi told her, and then she grabbed her track shoes that she tossed on the ground while helping Merle. Sitting down, she changed shoes and started stretching again. 

"Umm, so now what are you going to do?" Merle asked as she sat on the grass, stretching the muscle like Hitomi had told her to do.

"I told you before. I'm a sprinter. I need to sprint." 

"Okay, but what does sprint mean?" 

Hitomi smiled. "Sorry, I guess you don't have recreational sports here on Gaea. Other then sword fighting tournaments. Sprinting is running very fast over short distances. I'm a 100 meter runner." 

"What's a meter?" 

"A meter, well … a meter is a unit of measurement. It's about this long." She held up her hand about a meter apart.

"Oh, so it's about a half a cubit." Merle observed.

"A cubit?" The teen asked.

"Yes, here on Gaea things are measured by cubits." Pointing at her friend who was still holding her hands up. "That is about half a cubit."

"So a cubit is two meters." The teen smiled. "I guess on Gaea I'm a 50 cubit runner."

"I guess so." Merle grinned.

"Well, I need to measure off the distance I need to run." She grabbed her running shoes and set one down a short way away from Merle then she started counting off steps. Approximately 100 meters later she set the other shoe down. Taking off her warm up suit she stretched her legs once more before taking her spot at what she marked as the starting position.

"Okay" She steadied her breathing. "Ready" She got down on one knee and positioned her feet while setting her hands correctly on the ground. "Set." She raised her backside up in to the air, lifting her knee of the ground while still keeping her body loose. "Go!" She exploded into an all out sprint.

"By the gods!" Merle marveled at the speed Hitomi was traveling at. Within a matter of a few seconds she passed her marker and was slowing to a stop. "That's impossible. People can't run that fast. It's just not normal."

Walking up to her friend with her hands on her hips as she took long, deep breaths, she said. "You're right. It's not normal. It takes training to be able to run that fast. And to be honest, that wasn't that fast. I figure… I probably ran it in about… fourteen five, maybe even slower than that. The grass here is a little too tall. It's hard to get good traction. 

"You mean you can run that distance even faster?" Merle's eyes grew wide.

"I've run that a whole second and a half faster." The teen replied.

Giving her friend a sarcastic grin. "Second and a half, I thought you meant like in half the time it just took you."

"Let me tell you, in the 100 meters, the difference of one tenth of a second can be the difference between finishing first and finishing last." Hitomi explained, finally catching her breath. "That's why I have to train. So far, I'm one of only two girls in my school that's been able to run the 100 in 13 seconds. But that was unofficial. Only Amano and Yukari saw me do it. But if I can do it again and do it consistently during summer practices then there's no way they can't put me on the first team varsity squad, even though I'm just in 10th grade."

Looking down at her friend, she asked. "So how does it feel now?"

"Hmm?" Looking down at her leg, she had all but forgotten about the pain that had her limping half the way to the coast. "Better, much better." 

"Good. Well I just need to do a few more of these then we can head back okay." The girl with the emerald-eyes smiled.

"Oh, that's fine. I'm in no rush to leave. Do what you have to do." Merle smiled up at her friend.

"Thanks." She grinned back once more then walked over to the nearby marker. 

Watching her get down on all fours, Merle could hear she say, _"Ready, Set, Go!" _ Then she exploded into full stride as she raced down the field. "Amazing."

~~~~~~~~~

AN: Hope you found that entertaining. All the running information is based on my own running experiences and those of my eldest son. If there were any inaccuracies, its because the last time I ran was when I was back in college. That was some time ago. L 

I'm so glad you enjoyed my last chapter. I agree that that type of behavior would be way out of character for Hitomi to do in public but in the privacy of her own room. Well, I'm sure we've all done things behind closed doors that we could never think of doing in front of another person. J 

I'm afraid I may have spoiled you guys this week. With my family away at summer camp this week, I've had lots of time to work on all my stories but they come home today so updates won't be coming as quickly. Though I will still try to have one or two each week. 

Speaking of what is in-character and out-of-character for Hitomi, let me pose this question: Is Hitomi the type of person that would have sex before getting married or before the marriage was very imminent OR not? For that matter, is Van the type of guy who would accept such advances or would he politely turn her down, not wanting to dishonor his true love? I have my own opinion about this; I'd just like to know what you guys think.

Well, have a great weekend and I love you all, J 

A. Amishi

PS: you may have noticed I changed the time Hitomi ran the 100 meters in from 12 to 13 seconds. I just re-watched episode 1 and she does say 13 seconds, not 12. Which based on my research, it makes a whole lot more sense because there are only a handful of women in he world that can run the 100 meters in under 12 seconds. 13 seconds for a 15-year old is still very fast but not unbelievably so. I also corrected this in chapter 1.


	53. Chapter 53

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 53

At the aqueduct camp sight next to the Vinsorii River

---

As dawn broke over the forest, Sir Baschan exited his tent. Exhaustion overtook him late into the night and his king ordered him to bed. As he surveyed the area, he spotted his king standing alone down by the river. Without hesitation, he made his way toward the young man. 

As he approached he inquired. "Don't tell me you didn't get any sleep last night your Majesty?"

"How could I sleep? The future of my kingdom hangs in the balance." The young king replied without looking away from the roaring river. 

Looking down, the minister noticed the papers in the young king's hand. "Are those the reports from the surveyors, my Lord?"

Van extended his hand in the minister's direction, handing him over the papers.

Sir Baschan took them with some trepidation, but once in his own hands he quickly unrolled them and read their contents, one at a time. With each page, his continence fell a bit more. Upon reading the last report, his shoulders, visibly sagging at this point, gave him the appearance of a beaten man. "Damn." He whispered.

Van, who stood tall and erect, nodded his head in agreement with his minister's assessment of the situation. "This entire region is sitting upon a giant iron deposit, as far and wide as the forest itself."

The minister turned and looked at the forest behind him. The towering Fanelus trees were all about him and he wondered aloud. "How is it possible such massive trees can exist upon ground that is but five cubits deep before striking an iron slab?"

It took a minute for his words to sink in but when they did, Van turned and faced his minister with the same inquisitive look that was already on the minister's face. Then he looked past his minister and started walking toward the forest and up to a particularly large tree. Sir Baschan followed close behind. Reaching the tree, the king ran his hand over its rough bark then he turned his attention to the ground around the tree. 

"Baschan, assemble the crews. Have them dig out the soil beneath this tree. Make sure it is properly secured so no one gets hurt."

"Yes your majesty." A sense of excitement filled the burly man as he called out to the crew chiefs and relayed the king's orders. 

Looking up at the towering timber, Van whispered, "What is your secret? How have you succeeded where we have failed?"

Within moments three crews were assembled and began digging the soil out from around the tree.

After three hours the men had dug about a half a cubit down and ten cubits in radius around the large timber. A large network roots shot out from the tree in all directions and only began to thin out after about eight cubits. With the top of the root system exposed, most of the men were now just standing around waiting further instructions.

"What now your Majesty?" The minister asked.

Looking around the tree as he walked upon its roots, Van studied the complex and intricate manner in which the roots seemed to interweave with each other. Coming to a stop, he walked off the roots and back on the firm ground. Then pointing down at it, he instructed. "Have the men dig a trench here. At least large enough for three men. Have them dig all the way down to the iron ore then back toward the tree. But have them dig carefully. I don't want the roots disturbed."

"Yes Sire." Sir Baschan turned to one of the crew chiefs and instructed him accordingly.

After another two hours, the crew reached the iron slab then they started digging back toward the tree. It didn't take them long before they reached the roots. Using small hand tools they dug out as much of the soil as they could from between the roots that shot down. The workers exited the hole after clearing it as best they could then Lord Van, Sir Baschan and Master Forsim climbed in. The three examined the roots closely, studying exactly how they managed to support such a large tree. What they saw amazed them. The roots seemed to shoot down from the top cluster, interweaving with the each other just like the top ones did. Down at the iron slab, they seemed to bunch up over the ore.

Brushing the soil away from the root and iron, the minister observed, "Look, it appears the iron has actually fractured from force of the root upon it." He pointed to a small crack in the ore.

"Get some tools so we may chisel away at the iron and see if this is really so." The young king commanded.

In a matter of minutes, tools were passed down and Van, himself, worked at chiseling away at the iron. Over the course of another two hours, the three men chiseled out a portion of the ore a quarter of a cubit deep that revealed an incredible array of fine root fibers that weaved their way through the iron without weakening it. 

Each man stood back, holding a piece of ore in his hand, examining the fine roots system that wound its way through the hard rock. 

"Amazing." Forsim marveled.

"Do you suppose this is what makes the Fanelus so strong?" Wondered Baschan out loud.

"It must." Replied the architect. "It must draw strength through these fibers." He pointed at the ore in his hand.

"If this is so… then the trees I gave Queen Millerna…" Van pondered.

"Will be no stronger then a pine unless they plant them over an iron slap." Forsim finished his king's thought.

A deep frown formed upon the king's face. The other two men fell silent as they observed the deep sorrow in their king's expression. After several minutes, Van turned and climbed out to the hole, his minister and chief architect close behind. Ascending from the hole, he made his way toward his horse.

"What shall we do now my Lord?" Baschan asked.

"I don't know. I need time to think." Van replied as he mounted his horse.

"What of the camp and the men?" Forsim inquired.

"Give the men three days leave with pay. On the fourth day have them fill the holes and trenches that have already been dug. I want not a single sign that work of this nature ever occurred here. The beauty of the forest and the river will not be disturbed." With that he turned his horse about and rode off.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I must say, I am a little surprised at the overwhelmingly positive response I've received for the two last chapters. I was a little concerned that two chapters as light as those were, back to back might be met with some displeasure. I'm glad to see they were not. ^_^

I hope you like this chapter just as much. I tried to imagine how the roots of the tree would look like before I wrote this. I hope I got the idea across. I also wanted to pull together some to the elements I had mentioned in previous chapters. Hope this all makes sense. :P

Again, thank you all so very much for your wonderful comments. Receiving them all truly warms my heart. ^_^

A. Amishi


	54. Chapter 54

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 54

At the open field near the port in Fanelia

---

Standing with her hands on her knees about a meter in front of Merle, Hitomi struggled for every breath as sweat dripped from her hair, and face.

"Eew, you're all sweaty." Merle whined.

Hitomi just stared at her for a second; too tired to comment back, then she straightened up, and walked over and picked up the running shoe closest to her. Without hesitating, she kept walking all the way to her other shoe. Sitting on the grass, she took off her track shoes and stretched out one more time. Then she slowly put her running shoes back on and stood up. Looking out over the port she spotting a familiar face. 

Looking over at Merle who had gotten up on her feet and was now walking over toward her gingerly, the thought. _'I can't make Merle walk all the way back to the palace, let alone run.' _With that she broke in to a light jog over to the far end of the port.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Merle called out.

"I'll be back in a minute! Just wait!" The teen yelled over her shoulder.

Moments later she was calling out, "Sir Charson! Sir Charson! Over here!" She waved.

Looking about when he heard his name called, the tall elderly man smiled when he spotted the girl from the Mystic Moon running toward him.

"Ah, Lady Hitomi." He bowed deeply. "I heard you had returned to your world just two days ago."

Stopping before the minister of trade, the teen curtsied and smiled back. "I had Minister but I returned yesterday." Pausing a moment she then asked. "I was wondering if I might ask a favor of you?"

"By all means." 

Merle has injured her leg, nothing serious but it is difficult for her to walk on it. I was wondering if we might catch a ride aboard one of the carts that is heading back to the city?" She clasped her hands together and gave the elderly man a pleading smile.

Laughing softly, the minister gestured for his vassal. "I'll do better than that." 

A moment later the servant arrived, "Yes Minister?" He bowed.

"Bring my coach about and see that Lady Hitomi and Merle arrive safely back at the palace." He instructed the young man.

"Very good Minister." He bowed again and was off.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that." Hitomi protested.

"Nonsense. How could I expect to remain in Lord Van's good graces if I were to make his Majesty's, special guest and his childhood friend ride aboard a cart filled with pottery rather than in my coach." He smiled.

"Thank you Sir Charson. I really appreciate this." She curtsied once again.

Bowing politely, he added. "It was good to see you again Ma'Lady."

"You too Minister. Goodbye!" She waved as she made her way back to Merle.

Returning her wave and watching the young lady run off, the minister smiled to himself, "Ah, the joys of youth." He let out a sigh then turned and got back to work.

"Where'd you go?" Merle asked as she limped toward the teen.

"I got us a ride back to the palace." The girl with he emerald-eyes said. Turning when she heard the sound of the horses, she added. "And here it is now."

The coach pulled up in front of them and the minister's vassal, who was sitting next to the coachman, jumped down and opened the door for them. 

"Come on Merle, I'll help you." Hitomi took the catgirl's arm and guided her to the step. 

"Allow me ma'am." The vassal stepped forward.

Hitomi paused for a moment then stepped out of the way. Then the young man approached the catgirl and carefully scooped her up in his arms.

"Aaah!" She screamed, surprised by the young man's bold move, but she didn't struggle and he quickly stepped up into the coach and delicately deposited her upon the seat. "Oh, thank you." She said wide-eyed.

"You are quite welcome, Miss Merle." The vassal bowed and exited the coach then he offered his hand to assist Hitomi into the coach as well.

"Oh, ah, thank you." She grinned as she took his hand and got into the coach.

Climbing back up on top of the coach for just a moment, he instructed the driver to take the woman to the palace and assist Merle inside if need be, then return to immediately. The coachman nodded his understanding and road off.

Inside the coach, Merle smiled at her friend. "Thanks Hitomi. I was wondering how I was going to get back to the palace."

"It's alright Merle. That's what friends do for each other. They help each other out." The teen smiled back.

At the palace

---

After having breakfast with Merle and seeing to the catgirl's comfort, the teen went about planning the lunch she was going to share with the man she loved. With the palace manager at her side, she stood on the terrace overlooking the city. 

"Perhaps here. We can eat lunch here. It's a nice day. No reason to stay inside and the view of the city is so beautiful." She smiled.

"So you prefer this location over the garden Ma'Lady?" The elderly gentleman asked.

Thinking about it for a minute, the teen responded, "Yes, Lord Van has been in the forest all night. I'm sure he'd like a change in scenery."

"Very well ma'am. And the menu?" 

"Hmm, we'll start with a nice garden salad. Lord Van seems to really enjoy the different fresh vegetables in Chief Salzer's garden salad. Some grilled fish, the yellow one without the bones. I like that a lot." She grinned. "Oh, and the sautéed, oh what are those… long green things that the chief makes with the different colored peppers?" 

"Verdes met pimentas." He stated.

"Yes! That's so good. We'll have that too. Oh and the desert we had yesterday. That was so delicious." She licked her lips. "And be sure to have the same meal sent to Merle in my chambers, with a double serving of the desert." She smiled.

"Your chambers ma'am?" The elderly man raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"Yes, she's staying in my chambers till she feels well enough to walk around normally." She turned and took one last look out over the city. 

"And to drink?" 

"That fruit juice. Oh, what is it called, the little red fruit that's really sweet?"

Nodding knowingly, the man made a mental note of all that Hitomi said, and asked. "Will there be anything else ma'am?" 

Smiling widely she turned back to the palace manager and said. "No, I think that just about covers everything. Thank you Master Willfree."

The elderly man bowed, "My pleasure madam. May I say it is a joy to have a Lady about the palace again. It has been far too long since Queen Vari last walked these halls." He smiled. "All will be made ready at the noon hour." He bowed again and left to take care of Hitomi's lunch plans.

__

'Lady of the palace.' She giggled to herself then headed for the bathhouse at the ground level of the palace, in the back. "Man, do I need a bath." She said to herself as she walked.

The bathhouse, as it was referred to, was a large room with an in-ground bath that took up half the area. The bath was divided evenly into two; one portion was for bathing, the other for rinsing. Well water was pumped in and passed through a pipe that itself was passed through a small furnace to warm the water. It flowed into the rinse bath, which overflowed into the wash bath. Three maids were waiting for her when Hitomi arrived. They were informed, by the head chamber maid, that the Lady from the Mystic Moon would be wanting a bath after her return from her… run. 

As she entered the room, all three maids stood and bowed deeply then one of them went to close the door and stand watch outside to make sure no one disturbed the lady's privacy. While one maid poured oil into the bath and placed a variety of soaps, both solid and liquid, as well as several instruments to wash with, along the side of the bath; the other went to assist the lady undress. 

"That's alright, I can undress myself." Hitomi assured her with an embarrassed grin.

"Very well ma'am, then simply hand me your garments and I will see to it that they are cleaned and returned to your quarters later on today." The young maid offered.

"Oh, okay." She answered as she slowly pulled off her warm-up suit. 

Seeing the lady's discomfort at undressing in front of them, the maid offered. "Perhaps the lady would prefer to undress behind the changing curtain. I shall bring you a towel so you may conceal yourself till you are in the bath." 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Hitomi smiled. "Thank you, that would be nice." And she headed for the changing area.

After removing her clothes and wrapping the towel around herself she walked out and over to the bath. Gingerly stepping into the water, she smiled as the water felt pleasantly warm but not too hot. Stepping further into the bath, she removed the towel as the bottom of it almost reached the water. Setting the towel aside, she walked the rest of the way into the water, sitting down in the middle of the bath and leaned back until she was entirely submerged under the warm water. _'This feels sooo good.'_ She mused_. 'Ah, my muscles feel like softened butter in this water.'_

Standing next to the bath the younger of the two maids asked. "Would Ma'Lady care to have me bath her?" 

Not sure if she heard the young girl correctly, the teen sat up quickly, pulling her knees to her chest and covering her breasts with her arms. She asked with a red face. "Did you just ask if I would like you to bath me?" Her embarrassment increased when she saw that the girl was only wearing a short towel round herself. 

"Yes ma'am." The girl replied, in all seriousness.

"Oh, no, that-that's okay. I can wash myself just fine." She forced a grin.

"Perhaps just your hair and your back then." Not waiting for an answer the young maid stepped into the bath and walked over to Hitomi.

Turning bright red all over, the teen held her breath as her eyes went wide in shock.

"You needn't be embarrassed ma'am, this is what I do." The maid smiled as she stopped to retrieve soap, oil and a washcloth then repositioned them so they were within her reach as she stood behind the teen. "Would Ma'Lady please sit upon the seat?" She gestured to a rectangular stone that was a little behind and to the right of Hitomi.

"Oh, aah, sssure." Still keeping her arms over her breasts and her knees tucked in close, she inched her way over to the stone and used only one hand to push herself up onto it. Now she the water barely came up to her hips. _'This is so embarrassing.'_ She closed her eyes; unable to look around her for fear that the two maids would be staring at her.

Kneeling behind the teen, the young girl poured some liquid soap onto her hand and worked it into the teen's hair. After a few minutes of silence, she commented. "Might I say, Lady Hitomi has very soft hair. Even softer then Queen Millerna's."

"Really?" The teen straightened up in surprise at the complement.

"Oh, yes. And I must say, I was expecting it to be rather coarse, what with its short length but I was clearly mistaken. It is very soft." 

"When did you wash Queen Millerna's hair? Oh, of course, when she came to visit a few months ago." 

"Months ma'am?"

"Oh, I mean, moons, a few moons ago." Hitomi corrected herself.

"Yes, then but also in her palace in Palas"

"Really? … Wait… you're not from Fanelia are you? You're Asturian." 

"Yes ma'am that is correct. In fact, most of the palace staff is Asturian." The maid clarified.

"But why?"

"Unfortunately, most of the king's servants were killed during the Zaibach invasion. Van purchased us from Queen Millerna after the palace was rebuilt."

"Purchased? You mean you're slaves?" Hitomi's eyes went wide in shock again.

"No ma'am, we are servants. What I meant was he purchased our contracts. Every servant is given a five-season contract and is duty bound to fulfill the contract to whoever holds it. After five years, we may chose to remain on permanently or return to Asturia and either serve the royal family or seek independent employment outside the palace."

"Oh, I see." The teen gave a sigh of relief.

Grabbing a pitcher that was at the side of the bath, the maid filled it with water. "Please lean forward Ma'Lady." She instructed. 

Doing as the girl asked, Hitomi sighed happily. The gentle feeling of the maid's small hands carefully working the soap into her hair and scalp, and now the feeling of the warm water rushing over her, served to chase away her earlier feelings of embarrassment and uneasy. After repeating this action several times, the girl set the pitch aside and retrieved a small bottle of oil that had a slight green tinge to it. She poured a liberal amount into the teens hair and gently rubbed it in.

"Mmm, that smells nice. What is that?" The teen asked.

"It is olva oil ma'am. A small vegetable that is quite bitter to eat despite its pleasant odor, it's oil serves many purposes, one of them is to make the hair shiny and soft." 

"I've never used it before." Hitomi commented.

"My apologize but Ma'Lady has always bathed before we awake in the morning. It is fortunate Lord Van is also a very early riser and chooses to start the furnace himself, otherwise Ma'Lady would have been subjected to taking cold baths." 

"I guess you're right. This is the first time I've ever taken a bath this late in the day." She closed her eyes again and enjoyed the sensation of being pampered, when a thought occurred to her. "By the way, what's your name?"

"My name Ma'Lady?" The maid stopped massaging the oil in her hair for a brief moment. "Ah, my name is Beleza … and this is my sister Esperanca. The older girl standing watch outside the door is our older sister Coragema."

"Well, Beleza, I must say I'm sorry I've always come down to bathe so early but from now on I won't be making that mistake." She smiled.

"Thank you Ma'Lady. It warms my heart to know we are able to please you. We all hold you in the highest esteem." The girl said.

"Really?" The surprise was evident in her voice.

"Oh, yes Ma'Lady. We've all heard the stories of how you saved Lord Van's life during the war. How you jumped that unbelievable distance from the Crusade to the Zaibach ship and warned Lord Van before the Zaibach soldier could strike. How you were resurrected from the dead and warned the Prince of Freid of the doppelganger. How …" 

"That's quite enough." Hitomi laughed. "I think maybe Merle's been spreading too many stories about me."

"Anyway Ma'Lady." The young maid grabbed the pitcher once again and began rinsing the lady's hair. "The fact that Lord Van holds you in such high esteem is reason enough."

"Well, thank you." The teen softly replied.

Finishing with her hair, the young maid grabbed the washcloth and soap crystals. Getting the cloth wet, she worked the crystals into the material until they were all but gone. With a thick rich lather on the cloth she began to rub slow, gentle circles over the teen's back. 

A small grin spread across the teen's face as she let her eyes drift close. Sighing quietly, she thought, _'I could really get used to this.'_

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I had hoped to be much further along in this story at this point but this chapter is already too long so I guess I'll stop here. Sorry for the delay in posting but it seems fanfiction.net has been having problems again. I've started sending my story to too other websites to have it posted. One is www.fan-fics-r-us.com, just look for my name, A. Amishi on the authors' list. There is no mechanism there for sending reviews so just email me at aamishi@netscape.net. The other location is www.escaflowneonline.com, under their fanfics link. There, just click on the author's name to send a reply. The email addresses may be different between the two sights but that's okay. Don't worry about it. ^_^

Also, I recently joined an Escaflowne Forum, , which is part of escaflowneonline. While they have 126 members, they number of active members seems pretty low. Perhaps if some of you join as well, we can share our thoughts and ideas about this wonderful show together and help liven up that forum. ^_^ Unless you guys know of a more active and well-organized esca-forum. I'd be more than happy to join another one as well. 

Well, enough chapters with our hero and heroine apart. It's time to bring them back together. Should happen in the next chapter. And speaking of chapters, I has made some minor changes to the first three chapters as well as chapters 43, 48 and 52. I used Serena in chapter 43 but I used Celena elsewhere, so I changed it in 42 to Celena. The ending of chapter 48 is different now, and I changed the time Hitomi runs the 100 meters in from 12 to 13 seconds. I re-watched episode 1 today and she does say 13 seconds, not 12. So I corrected this in both chapter 1 and 52. Don't think she mentions it anywhere else, does she???


	55. Chapter 55

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 55

In Hitomi's chambers

---

"So what do you think?" Hitomi turned left then right.

"Yeah, great, whatever." Merle yawned as she lay on her friend's bed, on her stomach with a bandage wrapped snuggly around her leg. Holding her head up with her hands, her elbows on the bed, she said. "I don't see why you're making such a big deal about this. It's only lunch for goodness sake."

"Because I haven't see him since yesterday evening and I have a feeling things were far more serious than he let on. I want to cheer him up. Help him forget about his problems, at least for a little while. So you, think this is okay than? You don't think it's too much?" She asked.

"If you ask me its not enough. You're practically missing the whole back of the dress. Besides, don't you think a dress for lunch is kinda going a little too far?" The cat girl started licking the back of her right hand.

"You think so?" She looked at herself in the mirror. "Maybe you're right. I should save this for dinner sometime. She went to her chifforobe and pulled out a skirt and matching blouse. Then went behind the changing curtain. A minute later she came out and looked at herself in the mirror again. "What about this?"

"Yeah, great, whatever."

"Oh, you're no help." The teen pouted.

"Lord Van doesn't care about things like that. You could be wearing a potato sack and he'd think you were beautiful. He sees the beauty within." The catgirl told her pointedly.

"You think so?" The teen replied, not entirely convinced of the catgirl's argument.

"If it weren't true, he'd have fallen for Millerna or Celena a long time ago. They're way prettier than you."

Hitomi's eyes went wide with shock. "I can't believe you just said that."

"Don't get all bent out of shape by it. It's not like I called you ugly or anything. You're cute enough, I guess, for a human of course. I mean it's not like Lord Van would be attracted to an ugly girl either."

"Thanks a lot." The teen snapped, turning her back to her friend and walking over to the full-length mirror.

"Hey, I was paying you a complement." She started to get up but the twinge in her leg forced her back down.

"Funny, being told I'm nowhere nearly as pretty as Millerna or Celena doesn't sound like a complement to me." The teen shot back.

"What I said was, Lord Van sees your inner beauty: your courage, your strength, your compassion. That's what attracts him to you. Not the other stuff. Sure its nice to have a pretty face to wake up to each morning but that kind of beauty fades. The other doesn't. The beauty he sees in your face now, he'll see years from now, when you're both old and gray."

Hitomi sighed as she looked down at the floor before her. She turned and walked over to her friend and sat down next to her. "Thanks Merle." She ran her hand through her friend's hair. "Sorry for snapping at you." 

"That's okay." The catgirl smiled. "Say, can you, a little to the left, right behind the ear, yeah, there. Prrrrrr. By the way, I'm sure Lord Van will like the outfit you have on." 

"Thanks, but actually I was thinking of going to the kitchen and getting a potato sack instead." She replied. 

After the two girls shared a laugh together, Hitomi finished getting ready. She sat with Merle a while longer until the younger girl's lunch arrived then she said her goodbyes and made her way to the terrace.

Walking out onto the terrace she looked up into the sky. Soft, gentle clouds filled the sky, allowing just enough sunlight through to brighten the day. She walked over to the table that had been set out. The servant, who was standing next to it, pulled out the chair for her. 

Sitting, she thanked him then asked, "Has Lord Van returned to the castle yet?"

"Of last I heard, no ma'am, but if Ma'Lady wishes, I shall go and inquire of the king's whereabouts." He offered.

"Yes, please do." She smiled.

Bowing deeply, he turned and went back into the castle.

About ten minutes later, he returned carrying a tray with a pitcher and two goblets. Setting the tray on the table he place one goblet in front of the teen and the other where her date would eventually sit. He filled her goblet with the juice from the pitcher then set the pitcher in the midst of the table. 

"I am afraid Lord Van has not returned to the castle as of yet. And there is no word from the campsite. I am sorry Ma'Lady." 

"That's alright. I'm sure he's on his way." She smiled then took a sip of her juice. "Mmm, delicious." 

"Would you like to start with the salad at least, Ma'Lady, or perhaps some bread?" 

"No, that's okay. I'll just wait for Lord Van." She smiled again.

"Very well ma'am. I shall inform you as soon as he does arrive." He bowed and left.

Hitomi sighed as she looked at her watch. It was still set for Japan time but she just counted the minutes from the time she arrived. "He'll probably be showing up in the next ten or fifteen minutes. I'll have to let him know it's not polite to make a girl wait." She grinned to herself then took another sip of juice.

She looked at her watch again. "Fifty minutes since I arrived. Was I early? No, our servant was already here, ready to wait on us. He may have been a little early but not by much I'm sure." She stood up and walked over to the edge of the terrace. Looking down at the castle courtyard, she saw several Guymelefs being worked on and a few actually being built. Several young soldiers were practicing their swordsmanship while others were practicing their equestrian skills. She stood there for some time just watching the men at there work. 

Checking her watch again, it was now over an hour since she first arrived. The servant had returned two more times, only to inform her that there was still no sign of Lord Van. Suddenly, she saw a horseman ride up the path that led to the city below. Her heart quickened for a moment but it sank just as quickly when she realized that the rider was not Van. He was on older, stockier gentleman with a full beard. It took her a minute but finally she recognized him. Turning, she ran as fast as her dress shoes would allow. Once inside the castle she headed for the stairs and went down the four flights.

Coming down the last flight she spotted the gentlemen making his way through the entryway, so she called out, "Sir Baschan."

The minister turned. "Ah, Lady Hitomi. It is good to see you again." He smiled.

"Thank you minister." She forced a smile as she come up to him. "Have you seen Lord Van? Is he still at the campsite?"

The minister's eyes immediately went wide as his head jerked back a bit. "You mean to say, his Majesty is not here?" He replied.

"No. He hasn't been here since he left yesterday evening." The teen replied.

"But I thought… I'm sorry, but Lord Van left the campsite nearly two hours ago. I thought he was returning to the castle." He explained.

"Over two hours." A deep frown appeared upon the girls face. "Where could he be?"

"I do not know. But I must say, I am concerned. Lord Van was quite upset when he left." 

"Upset? Why?" 

"Things did not go well at all at the campsite. It appears we will be unable to build the aqueduct after all." the minister's head dipped slightly as his shoulders slumped.

"Oh no. Lord Van put his hopes for this city in the aqueduct." Hitomi's heart ached for the man she loved. Suddenly, she gasped.

"Lady Hitomi? Are you alright?" The minister reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I know where he is." She replied.

"You do? But how? Is he safe?" Baschan had about twenty other questions for her but stop there.

"He's fine. He just wanted to be alone… alone with his thoughts, I suspect." She added. "I'm going to him." She turned and started headed back up the stairway. Pausing briefly she turned toward the minister and asked. "Minister, can you please do me a favor?"

"Anything Ma'Lady. What do you need?"

"I have to change. Can you see that my horse is made ready?" She asked.

Bowing deeply, Baschan replied. "Of course Ma'Lady. Your steed will be ready to take you to Lord Van upon your return."

She curtsied, "Thank you minister. I truly appreciate your help." Then she turned and ran up the stair.

Bursting into her room, the catgirl yelped as she dropped her spoonful of desert on her lap. "Damn!" Looking up she saw her friend run over to her dresser and pull out a T-shirt. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me your lunch with Lord Van is over already?"

"He never showed up." The emerald-eyed teen said as she quickly undid her skirt and lit it slid off her hips and onto the floor then she unbuttoned her blouse and let it fall off her shoulders down on top of the skirt. Pulling the T-shirt over her head, she went over to the chifforobe and got out her jeans, which she pulled on quickly.

"What do you mean he never showed?" The catgirl asked as she scooped up the fallen treat from her lap and stuck it in her mouth.

"Something very bad happened at the campsite and he rode off over two hours ago. He never returned to the castle. But I know where he is, so I'm going to him." She replied as she tucked her T-shirt into her pants and snapped and zippered them. Then she retrieved a pair of socks and her gym shoes.

"I'll go with you." Merle insisted as slid off the bed and started limping toward her. 

Hitomi turned and looked at her friend. "You can still hardly walk. Just stay here. I'll bring Van back in a little bit. I promise." 

The catgirl stopped. She looked down at the floor for a moment then back up at her friend. "Ookay." She said sadly as she turned and got back into bed. 

"Be sure to keep stretching that leg. And drink plenty of water." The teen said as she started for the door. Stopping briefly, she turned and looked at her friend. "Is that your second serving of dessert?"

"My third actually." The younger girl grinned.

Shaking her head, the teen replied. "You never learn, do you?"

Her friend just shrugged and went back to her dessert.

Not hesitating another moment, Hitomi rushed out the room and ran down the hall, to the stairs and out of the palace. In the courtyard a steward was holder the rains of her horse, waiting for her. She ran up to the beast and climbed up into the saddle. "Thank you." She said then she was off.

Sitting on the clearing at the top of the hill where he and Hitomi had lunch just the day before, Van looked out over the forest. Sitting with his knees pulled close to his chest and his arms resting on top of his knees, he sighed as he allowed memories of the past to fill his thoughts.

**__**

"Look all around you Prince Van, as far as the eye can see. This is all your kingdom, this and more." The great samurai said.

"But it's all forest and farmland." The eight-year old boy said. 

"Is that all you see. You will be king of all of Fanelia someday. You must learn to see not with the eyes of a normal man but with the eyes of a king. See the importance in the land. See what the land provides and see its potential. The ability to see these things are qualities necessary to be a great king." 

The boy stared out over the forest for several minutes then turned his attention to the farms. Several minutes later he turned to his mentor and said. "But Balgus, I can't see anything but farms and forest. Does that mean I'll never be a great king?"

The samurai laughed. "Not at all young Prince. It just means you need more time. But let me give you a word of advice. Whenever time permits from your training and your studies, come here and look out over your kingdom. See what is, and see what can be."

"Balgus, I tried to see what could be. I tried to make it a reality. But how do I overcome something I cannot see from just looking out from here?" The young king lowered his head and closed his eyes. "Balgus, I could use your counsel now, more then ever."

"Would you settle for mine?" A soft, familiar voice said from behind.

Jumping to his feet, the young man turned to see the woman he loved a few cubits away sitting on her horse. "Hitomi."

The teen thought she'd say something sarcastic, perhaps lightly berate the young man for missing their lunch date but seeing the sadness in his eyes, chased those thoughts away. Instead she rode over to where his horse was and dismounted. Patting the animal along the side of its neck and down its snout, she then walked over to the man she came to see.

"I was worried about you. So was Sir Baschan and Merle." She said when she came to stand in front of him.

"How did you know to find me here?" He asked but then answered his own question. "Of course, you had a vision, didn't you?"

"Well, yes. But I don't think I really needed one to know that this is the place you would come to, to think." She stated.

He smiled sadly at her then slowly turned away. "I'm afraid I wouldn't be very good company right now."

"Van, do you honestly think I only came to Gaea to spend the good times with you? I came to be with you. Through the good times and the bad." She stepped forward till she was standing next to him. 

"So you know the project has come to an end." He said.

"Sir Baschan said the aqueduct can't be built but he didn't say why." She replied.

"It's because the entire forest is sitting on top of an iron ore deposit just five cubits beneath the surface. To build the aqueduct we need to go 10 cubits down." He said solemnly.

"Oh." Was her only response. Slowly her eyebrow furled as she stared at the forest. "But how is it that these trees can grow so large if there's a …"

Before she could finish, Van answered. "The trees draw their strength from the iron. They feed off of it."

"Oh." She lowered her head. Then another idea occurred to her. "Well, maybe you can mine the ore? If the deposit is that big, you can start an iron works factory."

Van laughed softly and shook his head. 

"What? What's so funny? I'm being serious." She frowned.

"I apologize Hitomi. I don't mean to be dismissive. But…" He put his hand on her shoulder and turned her attention to the nearby mountain. "See that thick black layer, a little over half way up the mountain?"

"Yes." She responded.

"That's iron ore. No digging needed, no trees to cut down. A man with a cart can ride up the mountainside after breakfast, fill his cart and be back before dinner. Iron is very plentiful in Fanelia, Zaibach and parts of Asturia closest to our border. I just never imagined it would be under the ground." He let his knees give way as he plopped down on the grass.

"Well, maybe you …"

"Hitomi, please. There isn't anything that can be done. Don't you think I've exhausted every possibility already? Considered every possible alternative? I don't need you to restate the obvious to me." He snapped.

Her lips quivered as she struggled to keep from crying. "I'm just trying to help."

"Unless you can miraculously make a ore disappear, there's nothing you can do that will help the situation." He said coldly.

"So, is that it? Have me close while everything is fine and all your dreams are coming to fruition, but run into some trouble and its, _"Okay Hitomi, just stay out of my way. You can't help me with my problems, you're just a silly girl."_" She spat back.

Van shot his head up and stared at her wide-eyed.

"Well, if that's your idea of love then you've got a lot to learn, King Van Fanel." She turned and headed for her horse.

"Hitomi, wait!" He quickly rose to his feet and rushed up behind her, taking hold of her shoulders to stop her progress. "Please wait."

She gave no resistance but lowered her head and allowed silent tears to roll down her cheeks. 

"Hitomi…" He sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just… before the war, from the time my mother disappeared till the Zaibach attack, though I was technically the ruler of my kingdom, I relied entirely upon Balgus' counsel. In reality, he ruled Fanelia during that time and he prepared me to take the throne. Since his death, I've had to been my own counsel and it hasn't been easy."

"What about your ministers?" She whispered.

"They offer advice but they don't come close to the wisdom Balgus possessed. He was far more then just a great swordsman and samurai. He was my confident, my tutor, my mentor, and my advisor. Now, without him, at a time like this; it all just feels … so overwhelming." He explained in a soft, non-threatening tone.

Slowly turning around to face him, Hitomi whipped her eyes dry and looked up at him. "I may not be wise and I may not be able to tutor or mentor you in anything you might think is useful but I want you to know you can always confide in me. I will never think any less of you just because your plans don't work out. I won't blame you or look down upon you or consider you a failure just because things didn't work out. And things won't always work out, no matter how much we want them to. That's just how life is."

Staring deeply into her eyes for a few moments, Van pulled her into his embrace and held her tight. They held each other for several minutes before he whispered. "I had no idea how much I needed to hear words like that. All I could think of was how I had let Balgus down, how I let my people down, how I let you down."

"Oh Van. I'm sure if Balgus were here today, he'd tell you how very proud he is of you. And your people love you and admire you. I love you, more than anyone ever will. You're what, fifteen years old and ruler of your own kingdom. How can I not admire you and be so very proud of you." She pressed her cheek against his chest. "I know how much this aqueduct meant to you, means to Fanelia. I know you're upset but I want you to know. If you're serious about wanting me to become your… your… your Queen, you've got to learn to confide in me. Don't just come to me when everything is going well, but come to me when things are going wrong too. I may not be able to advise you wisely but I'll listen to you and hold you and be here for you, always."

Van leaned back slightly, causing Hitomi to act in kind so their eyes met. "I think we both underestimate your wisdom Hitomi. I won't make that mistake again." And as they stared longingly into each other's eyes, their lips slowly drew closer together, and just as they could feel the other's gentle breath upon their lips, a loud rumbling sound echoed over the hill. 

Pulling back slightly Hitomi started at the king, whose face had turned a faint shade of pink. "Was that your stomach?"

He just looked away.

"When is the last time you ate?" She smiled.

"Dinner, yesterday." He answered honestly.

"You must be starving. Come on, let's head back to the castle." She started to pull out of his hold but he held her fast.

"In a moment." He said, as he leaned in again. Slowly Hitomi's smile faded as she leaned in as well only to have an even louder rumble fill the air. With that the teen began to laugh out loud. "I'm sorry, but I…" She was unable to finish her sentence as she laughed even louder when a third rumble sounded.

"Okay, lets go to the castle." The king finally let her go, realizing that the moment had past. 

As they mounted their horses and made their way through the forest, he asked. "So what is for lunch?"

"Well, it was going to be grilled yellow fish and sautéed greens with peppers but that was almost two hours ago. I guess we'll just have to see what Chef Salzer will be able to come up with on short notice."

"Two hours ago. I had no idea I was gone for so long." Van shook his head. "I'm so sorry I missed our lunch together, Hitomi."

"That's alright. You can make it up to me with a very romantic dinner." She smiled.

Smiling back, the king replied. "A romantic dinner?" He thought for a moment then continued. "Very well, I think I have just the dinner in mind." 

"Really? What?" She asked inquisitively.

"Sorry, you'll just have to wait till tonight." He grinned.

"Ohh!" She pouted. "This better be worth waiting for." She warned.

"If it is not, you can have me horsewhipped." He offered.

"Eew! Sorry Van, I'm not into S and M." She teased.

"S and M… What are they?" He inquired with a confused look upon his face.

Hitomi just laughed and rode on ahead.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry of the long wait but my DSL modem died and my dialup modem wouldn't work so I had to go out and buy a new dialup modem. Man is this slow! L Well, was it worth the wait? I sincerely hope so. Don't fault Van too much for his outburst. It's going to take him some time to get used to confiding in someone. What will be the solution for the aqueduct? Well, it won't be an easy one and it won't be resolved during this trip. But life goes on and as is often the case, other troubles will soon rear their ugly heads. 

I hope to have another chapter for you for the weekend. J 

Thank you for your comments as always. They are what keep me going. J J J 

A. Amishi


	56. Chapter 56

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 56

At the entrance of the Palace

---

Hitomi's persistent efforts to find out about Van's plans for dinner only drew a smile from the young king and an occasional raised eyebrow when she teasingly threatened to withhold her lips from him unless he revealed his plans. But the young king was not swayed as they walked into the palace, hand in hand.

"Ah, Lord Van." The deep baritone voice of Minister Baschan caught their attention. "I'm glad to see you are safe. When you left the campsite but did not return to the palace, I feared something may have happened."

"No Minister, nothing dreadful happened; I simply needed a little time alone with my thoughts." The king replied.

Smiling the minister observed. "It's good to see you in brighter spirits my Lord. No doubt you had something to do with that?" He bowed toward Hitomi. 

"Minister, assemble the other ministers and chef captains. I will meet with everyone in my study in two hours. We have much to discuss." The king instructed.

"Yes my Lord, I shall see to it straight away." The minister bowed and went off to his task.

"Two hours?" Hitomi gave him a questioning stare.

"That gives me enough time to eat and bathe." He replied.

"And start planning our romantic dinner together?" She grinned widely with her eyebrows raised high.

"Mmm, no, I won't have time to do that till after the meeting." He grinned wickedly as they made their way to the kitchen. "Of course, it is entirely possible that the meeting may run long. In which case… I maaay have to cancel our dinner." He gazed up toward the ceiling faking the look of innocence. 

"Do that and I will take you up on your offer to have you horsewhipped." She glared at him.

Van just laughed as he began to run toward the kitchen, pulling Hitomi along with him.

With everyone standing around a large round table in his study, Van proceeded to outline his plan to try and overcome the major setback encountered earlier that day.

"As we now know, nearly the entire northern forest rests upon a great iron ore deposit." Using a pointer, he gestured to the region on the map covering the table that represented the northern forest. "But the area along the shores of the river, as far inland as one-hundred cubits at some spots are ore free. What we need to do is see if we can turn this to our advantage."

"How my Lord?" The Minister of State asked. 

"This is where I am depending upon you to try and find possible solutions. I want each of you to venture to the other kingdoms of Gaea and find out what new technologies they may have that we may be able to incorporate to overcome this problem. Let them know, that we will be willing to purchase this technology but only if they can demonstrate that it will work." He explained.

"What about the Zaibach Empire, my Lord?" Captain Cid asked. "They are by far the most technologically advanced kingdom in all of Gaea."

Van considered this for a moment then answered. "No, they are still too unstable. We will not risk drawing their attention. No, we will rely on our other, friendlier neighbors for aid in this matter."

Nodding their heads in agreement, the ministers and captains, under the guidance of their king, systematically divided up the different kingdoms and discussed whether to travel by land or sea. After about an hour, each man knew his task and bowed respectfully to the king before exited the study. The last two to leave were Ministers Charson and Baschan. 

"I will leave, posthaste my Lord." The burly man slowed, as he came to the door and turned back toward the king. "My Lord, may I suggest…"

"Yes Sir Baschan?"

"Well, Lady Hitomi. Her world possesses technology vastly different from our own. Perhaps my Lord could inquire if her Ladyship could possibly investigate the matter as well; perhaps this type of problem has already been addressed on the Mystic Moon." He suggested.

Van's initial instinct was to reject the idea but remembering his earlier discussion with Hitomi, he reconsidered. "That is in excellent idea Minister. I will be sure to ask. Thank you."

Bowing once again, "My Lord." He then turned and walked out the room.

"My Lord." Sir Charson said as he turned to leave.

"One moment Minister." Van said as he put the pointer he had in his hand, down upon the map. "I would like you to do something for me." 

"Yes my Lord?"

"I promised Lady Hitomi a romantic dinner for two this evening and I can think of nothing more romantic then a quiet dinner at sea under the moonlight." The king informed him.

Smiling the elderly man nodded in agreement. "I shall make the arrangements aboard the…" He paused for a moment thinking which ship would best suit the occasion, then stated. "The Freya; she is not scheduled to depart for another four days."

"That would be perfect, and perhaps some music." Van suggested.

"I can have the court musicians on the main deck while his Majesty and Lady Hitomi dine on the quarter deck?" The minister suggested.

"Mmm, too much, a string quartet would be nice." The king countered.

"Excellent suggestion my Lord." The tall, elderly man was having difficulty containing his excitement.

"Please see to it and see that Chef Salzer has all he needs aboard the ship to prepare the menu I've already given him." 

"Yes, of course. I shall see to it, my Lord. Is there any other way I may be of service to you my Lord?" He offered.

"No Sir Charson, that is plenty. Thank you." The king nodded.

"My pleasure your Majesty." He bowed then turned and left the room.

Down the hall, while Lord Van and Sir Charson were still discussing plans for that evening, Sir Baschan encountered Captain Cid who was apparently waiting to speak with the minister. 

"Sir Baschan, do you have a moment?" The young captain approached.

"Yes Captain, how may I be of service?" The minister offered.

"Sir Baschan, as the King's Minister of the Interior, I was curious as to your opinion of the King's plan to seek technical aid outside the borders of Fanelia." The captain inquired as he got in step with the larger man.

"It is no secret that Fanelia is not noted for its technical achievements. It would be blind arrogance to think we can overcome this problem on our own. That is why I even suggested to Lord Van that he seek aid from Lady Hitomi as well." The minister explained.

"Lady Hitomi? What would she know of such things? She is but a child." The captain frowned.

"Be careful Captain. That CHILD, as you put it, is nearly the same age as our King, and she helped Lord Van several times in the past." The minister paused for a moment. "Besides, I do not suspect she, herself would know of such things but the next time she returns to her world, she can search out the technology and return with it."

"Mystic Moon technology? That would be nearly as bad as having a queen from the Mystic Moon." The captain said with a bitter edge to his voice.

The minister stopped walking at that point. "What do you mean by that comment sir?"

Feeling a bit uncomfortable around the larger man, the captain looked from side to side, avoiding direct eye contacted but went on to say, "Surely you have heard the rumors that King Van intends to ask this girl to marry him and be his queen? It is bad enough that we have a king that is half Draconian, now to have a queen that is from the Mystic Moon. The heir to the throne of Fanelia will have but a quarter of Fanelian blood in him."

The large, burly man took a threatening step closer to the young captain. Staring daggers into the young man, he spoke. "I will do you the great favor and pretend I did not hear you say all that you just said, Captain. But if I ever hear you repeat such words again, I promise you, your heart will feel the steel of my blade." And he emphasized his threat by placing his hand upon the handle of his sword.

The young captain broke into a nervous sweat. For though the minister was not a soldier, his reputation with a sword was well known throughout Fanelia. Determining that retreat was the better part of valor, the captain bowed his head. "My apologies Minister. I clearly misspoke. It will not happen again."

"See that it doesn't Captain." Baschan warned.

"Good day Minister." Cid bowed once again then turned and left quickly.

Sir Baschan stood motionless for about a minute as he watched the young officer retreat from the palace. He was roused from his dark meditation when Sir Charson walked up beside him and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Minister? Day dreaming, are we?" The older man said with a laugh.

Releasing his sword. The Minister of the Interior turned to his old friend and mentor, and smiled. "What is it you once told me? **_"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night."_**"

"So, what wisdom have you gleaned in your waking dream?" The gray-haired gentleman asked as the two walked down the hallway together.

"What do you think of Lord Van's relationship with Lady Hitomi?" He asked.

"Direct as always, my friend." Charson smiled. "I think I have never seen Lord Van as happy as when he is with Lady Hitomi. Simply the thought of her is able to bring a smile to your young King's face." Chuckling softly, the minister went on. "To tell you the truth, I cannot help but envy our King. To have the favor of such a young, beautiful, intelligent, brave and resourceful woman, I would gladly travel to the Mystic Moon and back again, many times over." 

"Minister, I am afraid at your age, such a trip would be accomplished in only one direction." Baschan laughed.

"Perhaps so, but to find such a woman, what a way to go." Charson countered and laughed even louder.

Unable to shed the horse smile even with a change of clothes, Hitomi went back down to the bathhouse to bathe once again. Since she went unannounced, there was no one there this time, which was fine by her. _'Letting myself be pampered like that was kind of nice but not something I really want to grow too accustom to.' _She told herself, as she stoked the furnace then pumped the well several times to get the water flowing. _'But I do want to use some of that bath oil and conditioning oil as well.'_ as she went about searching for the toiletries. 

"Mmm, this is so nice." She whispered as she lay back in the water just barely keeping her face above the surface, while the rest of her was under the water. "I could just stay like this forever."

"But then you'd miss your **_romantic_** dinner with Lord Van." A familiar, high-pitched voice said.

Hitomi screamed as she curled up to conceal herself. "MERLE! What are you doing down here? You're supposed to be resting your leg!" She yelled as she tried to catch her breath and slow her heart.

"Are you kidding?" The catgirl said running towards the wall on all fours, she spring up bounded off one wall, onto the other and back over to the bath. "My leg is all better now. I feel fine." She grinned. "But I still smell from this morning so move over." She warned as she pulled off her dress and slipped off her sandals then dove into the water and started swimming circles around the embarrassed teen.

"I thought cats didn't like the water." Hitomi glared at the constantly moving object.

"Are you kidding? I love the water." The catgirl said as she started to backstroke.

"This is a bath not a swimming pool." 

"So, lets take a bath. I'll scrub your back if you scrub mine." Merle stopped swimming and kneeled up right quickly, grabbing a bar of soap.

"No thanks, I'll wash myself." The teen grabbed the liquid soap, poured some onto her hand and worked it into her hair.

"Suit yourself." The catgirl shrugged as she started rubbing the soap all over herself, working up a rich, thick lather.

After washing, conditioning and rinsing her hair, Hitomi grabbed a washcloth and the soap crystals. Working them into the washcloth in the same manner the maid had earlier that day, she started rubbing the cloth over her body when she looked up to see her friend standing near the side of the bath. She was busily scrubbing the tops of her feet and didn't notice the teen staring at her. 

"Merle is that you under there?" The teen asked.

Turning suddenly, all she could see were the catgirl's eyes and the tips of her ears protruding from a thick layer of white suds that covered the rest of her body. "What?"

Hitomi began to laugh. Then she snorted and laughed. And when the catgirl turned to face her straight on with her hands on her hips glaring daggers at her, Hitomi fell over in a fit of laughter. "You …" She laughed even louder. "You look like the abominable snow kitty!" Rolling about, the teen inadvertently took in a mouthful of water. She instantly stopped laughing and started coughing.

"Serves you right. Stupid girl." Merle stuck her tongue out at her then reached behind herself and grabbed her tail, working a good lather all over it as well.

Once she stopped coughing, Hitomi trying as best she could to not look in her friend's direction, as she went back to washing herself. But as she rinsed the soap off, she caught the sight of Merle, holding her tail, trying to use it to scrub her back. The sight was more then she could bear and she bust into laughter once again. 

"Oh shut up!" Merle snapped.

"I'm sorry Merle." She snorted as she fought to contain her laughter. "Really I am." This time burying here face in her hands to hide her laughing fit.

"You're so mean Hitomi." The catgirl spun around giving the teen her back. 

Finally getting control of herself, Hitomi stood up and walked over toward Merle. "I'm sorry Merle, you're right. I am being mean. Please forgive me. Here, I'll finish washing your back for you okay." She offered.

The catgirl took a step away. "No, I don't need your help. I can do it myself." And she grabbed her tail again and tried to rub it against her back. 

"Here Merle let me." The teen reached out with the wash cloth still in her hand.

"Don't touch me!" The catgirl warned taking another step away.   
  
"Fine! Suit yourself. I already apologized and offered to help." Turning the teen walked over to ledge that separated the rinse water from the wash water and she gently dove into the rinse-water side. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the warm, clean water over her body. When she heard a splash, she opened her eyes to see Merle rinsing off the thick layer of suds from her body on the wash-water side. Deciding it was best if she got out before Merle got in; Hitomi grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around herself. Then she walked over past the changing curtains and dried herself off. Grabbing one of the many freshly cleaned bathrobes, she put it on and walked out from behind the curtain, with her clothes and shoes under her arm. She stopped and deposited her clothes in the laundry hamper then started walking toward the door. As she suspected, Merle was now in the rinse water, thrashing about vigorously, trying to get all the soap out from her fine fur. 

Stopping for a moment to face her, Hitomi said. "Merle, I am sorry. Really I am. It was wrong to laugh and I'm sorry I hurt your feelings." 

The catgirl who had stopped thrashing about when she heard hear name, just stared at her wide-eyes with her wet hair concealing most of her face.

After waiting a few minutes for a response that never came, the teen added. "Well … sorry. I've got to go get ready for tonight." She said softly. "I'll see you later." And she turned to leave.

"I forgive you." The catgirl said, just as her friend reached the door. 

Turning around to meet her friend's gaze, the teen smiled.

"I guess I can't blame you. I suppose I do look pretty funny when I get all suds'ed up like that." The feline said.

"Oh, maybe just a little." Hitomi gave a tiny smile as she looked up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, just a little, that's why you couldn't stop laughing." Merle said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well." She grinned. 

"Oh, just give me a minute and I'll go up with you." The catgirl said, dipping her head under the water once again.

"Fine." The teen smiled. "I'll just wait outside the door. Okay?"

"Okay. I'll just be a minute." As she went back to rinsing herself.

Smiling, Hitomi turned and walked out the door. Closing it, she leaned up against the wall and smiled. "Abominable Snow Kitty. Tehehehe." She covered her mouth to stifle the laugh.

"I can hear you!" The feline yelled.

"Oops. Sorry!" The teen yelled back with a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I know you were expecting the romantic dinner but I wanted to get the first half of this chapter in first and I just have so much fun writing Hitomi and Merle, I couldn't resist having those two at it again. Next chapter will start with Hitomi and Merle again, this time while Hitomi is getting ready for her romantic dinner with her true love. The majority of the chapter will be the romantic night our two lovers have together. Remember Captain Cid. He will be rearing his evil head again, in the distant future. Whahahaha!

*Cough*Cough*Cough*

Sorry about that. 

Thanks for all your comments. Speaking of comments, I often make references to movies/anime/authors in my work but I must admit the Lion King thing was not intentional on my part. It never crossed my mind. Oh, oh, oh, before I forget, thank you Fushizen na for the Edgar Allan Poe quote I used. That is the quote Sir Baschan credits to Sir Charson. Very brave of you to post your dreams on your website. Most of my dreams are pretty boring, though I did once dream I was in the mob and my guidance counselor in college was my ex-wife. That one was weird. :P 

So far the Escaflowne Forum has been kinda fun. I have yet to encounter any real nasties, thank goodness.

And added note: I wanted to post this Thursday night but as I was proof reading it at 1am, I started to fall asleep. So I decided to wait till today to post it, after I had a chance to read it over again. I'm glad I decided to wait and not just go ahead and post it. Lots of silly errors. I hope I caught them all but I'm sure I probably let a few slip by. Sorry about that. Hope you enjoy this chapter. ^__^

A. Amishi


	57. Chapter 57

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 57

In Hitomi's Chambers

---

"You're not going to wear that to dinner tonight, are you?" Merle asked as she walking into her friend's room with a clean dress on.

Hitomi stopped buttoning the oversized man's dress shirt and looked down at it, then up at her friend. "Why not, I thought you said I could wear a potato sack and Van would still think I was beautiful?" 

"You take things to literally, besides this is supposed to be a romantic dinner…" The catgirl started lecturing.

"Relax Merle, I'm not wearing this to dinner. This is just one of my Dad's old shirts. It's just something to wear when I put on my makeup." She smiled as she walked over to the vanity table and sat down.

"Makeup? I've never seen you put on makeup before." The catgirl pranced over to bed and sat down.

"Well, I never really had a reason to put makeup on before, though I have worn a little lip gloss from time to time." The teen said as she brushed her hair. "Oh, I wish my hair grew faster."

"What's wrong with your hair? It looks fine."

"Well, it's a little longer then it was before but not long enough to do anything with." She turned her head side to side, keeping an eye on her reflection in the mirror. "It just sits there." She set the brush down in frustration.

Slowly a thought came to Merle and she hopped off the bed. "I'll be right back." She said as she made her way toward the door.

"Where are you going?" The teen turned her head to watch her friend leave.

"Don't go anywhere till I get back." The catgirl smiled then was out the door.

The emerald-eyed girl stared at the closed door a moment longer. Her eyes wide in mild surprise, then she shrugged and grabbed her bottle of astringent and a couple of cotton balls. "Whatever." 

About an hour later, she was done applying her makeup. She ended up washing her face and starting over three times before she got it right, not too much but just enough to be noticeable by moonlight or candlelight. Now she was ready to put on the dress she had picked out for the evening. It was actually the same dress she had put on for lunch, before being persuaded to change by Merle. She was behind the changing curtain when the chambermaid came in to light the candles. 

"Is that you Merle?" She called out.

"No Miss. The maid replied. "It's just me, I've come to light the candles for the night."

"Oh." She replied as she stepped out from behind the curtain. "Okay." 

"Oh my goodness." The maid's eyes grew large as she covered her mouth with her hand. 

"What's wrong?" Hitomi looked down at herself, her arms out to her side. "Is there a stain or a snag?"

"No ma'am, you… you look beautiful, absolutely beautiful." The woman smiled.

The teen relaxed as she looked up and smiled at the maid. "Thank you." She turned and walked over to the full-length mirror, to see for herself.

"Oh, my!" The maid gasped again. "Ma'am, you're missing half your dress."

The teen just smiled at the reflection of the maid off the mirror. "No, it's supposed to be that way." 

The dress was a floor length sheath with a high haltered neckline and bare shoulders. The back of the dress scooped low to just above where her black bikini panties started. It had a slit on the left side that came up to mid-thigh and was made out of a dark blue, almost black, crumpled velvet and was fully lined.

"I bought this dress to wear to the sports banquet last May but my mother wouldn't allow me to. She said it was too adventurous." She smiled at her reflection after looking herself over.

"I think perhaps you mother was correct." The maid said then quickly covered her mouth. "Sorry ma'am. I… Sorry." And she retreated from the room.

Hitomi just smiled as she turned her attention from the retreating maid back to her reflection. "Well, I think I'm ready for a little adventure tonight."

Merle hummed to herself as she walked up the stairs, her attention entirely on the object in her hands. 

"Oh my!" Sophia, the head chambermaid gasped.

"Aah!" The catgirl yelped as the two of them almost collided into each other.

"Merle, you scared me. Be careful child. I could have knocked you down the stairs." The middle-aged woman said, gasping for air.

"Sorry Sophia." Merle clutched her heart.

After recovering a bit, the maid asked. "What is that you have there, Merle?"

"Oh, this." She held it up proudly. She had woven a hair-band out of thin vines and small flowers. "It's for Hitomi. She has a dinner date with Lord Van tonight."

"Oh yes, I've heard. It is quite exciting isn't it?" The older woman giggled silently.

"She was worried her hair didn't look right so I made this for her." 

"What a nice gesture. Is she still getting ready?" 

"She should be about ready. It's almost dark out. Lord Van sent word telling her, his vassal would come to escort her to her carriage at dusk."

"Well, we should go and get your gift to her then. I'm dying to see what she has chosen to wear for this night." And the two turned and headed up the stairs and down the hall to Hitomi's room.

Hitomi finally decided on her black pumps over the open-toed shoes she purchased with the dress. Not sure where she would end up, she felt more confident in her pumps in case she needed to walk over a dirt road or across a grassy field. 

A soft wrap on the door drew her attention. "Is that you Merle?" She called out.

"None other." Merle walked in, followed by the maid.

"Oh, hi Sophia." The teen smiled as she straightened up after getting her shoes on.

"Whew! You look great!" Merle said.

"That's not what you said this afternoon, when you saw me in it." Hitomi teased, placing her hands on her hips.

Sheepishly, Merle admitted, "Actually, I wasn't really paying attention this afternoon. But it's a good thing you didn't wear it then. Now you get to knock Lord Van's socks off with it." She smiled.

"You think so? You think I look that good in it?" She slowly turned all the way around.

"Yes miss, it's lovely. Oh!" The maid's eyes sprang wide with shock. "Miss, you'll catch a death of cold. Haven't you anything to wear over it?" 

"No, I don't." She replied with a hint of concern in her voice.

"It is starting to get a little cool out." Merle frowned.

"Oh, and I really wanted to wear this dress too." The teen pouted slightly. "Oh well. Guess I'll have to save it for another time." She said acceptantly as she walked over to the chifforobe.

"One moment Miss." Sophia said suddenly. Putting her hand to her mouth, she thought pensively for a moment then continued. "I shall bring you something I'm sure will go well with your dress. Be sure to wait for my return." She said as she turned and headed for the door.

"But what if the vassal shows up before you return." Merle asked.

"Make him wait. A gentleman like his Majesty will not mind waiting for such a vision." She smiled then left the room.

Turning back to her friend, the catgirl held up the item in her hand. "Hitomi, I made this for you." She smiled proudly.

The teen's emerald-eyes went wide. "What is it?"

"It's for your hair." The feline took her hand and guided her to the vanity table. With the teen seated, the catgirl carefully put it over her head, sliding the ends behind her ears. 

"Oh, Merle." Hitomi gave her friend a smile of genuine gratitude. She reached up and gently ran her fingers over the band. "It's beautiful."

Merle smiled proudly. "I used to make them for myself all the time when I was a kid. I'd use all sorts of flowers. As I got older, I thought it was kinda silly but I think for tonight, it suits you just fine." She patted her friend's shoulders.

Placing her hand over the feline's, the emerald-eyed girl said in a gentle voice, barely over a whisper. "Thank you Merle. I love it." 

"Okay now, don't start crying or anything, you'll ruin your makeup." Merle said, turning away and blinking several times to chase way her own tears.

The two girls were roused from the moment when they heard a firm knock at the door. 

"Yes, who is it?" Hitomi asked.

"Your escort Ma'Lady. I am here to take you to his Majesty, King Van." The person on the other side of the door said.

"Wha-what do we do?" Hitomi turned toward Merle.

The catgirl thought for a moment, then as a serious look of determination appeared on her face, she said. "Leave it to me." And she headed for the door.

Opening it quickly and closing it behind her just as quickly, Merle smiled at the servant. "Hiiii!" She put her hands together and gave him a big toothy grin. "The Lady Hitomi Kanzaki is not ready yet. You know these girls from the Mystic Moon? Hehe"

"Aaa, no ma'am I'm afraid I don't." He replied honestly.

"Uh?" Taken off-guard for a moment by his response, the catgirl quickly recovered and walked up to him. Taking his arm, she started guiding him down the hall. "Well, let me tell you. You can't ever rely on them to be on time for anything. It was like the other day…"

Using her master key, Sophia opened the door to a room that had not been opened for nearly ten years. Walking in with her lamp in hand she made her way to the large chest at the foot of the bed. Kneeling before the chest, she set the lamp down on the floor and carefully, slowly opened the large box. Lifting the lamp again, she scanned the contents. The chest was full and each layer of clothing was covered with a sheet of fine, white paper that served to keep them dust free and prevent any musty odors from permeating the clothes. Searching for a particular item for several moments, she finally found it and removed it with the utmost care and reverence. 

Holding the item close to her chest, Sophia whispered. "She is such a lovely young thing. I know you would approve madam. I just know you would." 

Setting the item on her lap and the lamp on the floor again, she carefully closed the chest. Then she picked up both things, stood up and walked out the room, locking the door once more. Then she headed for the laundry facility.

Once there, she got into a shouting match with the master launderer. 

"I have over two-hundred people I have to launder for, I can't bring it all to a stop for one article of clothing." The short, round man yelled.

"No one is telling you to stop anything. All I'm asking is that you perform a quick clean and press of this shawl." Sophia refused to back down.

"Listen Miss, if I stopped to take care of every special request I receive, ninety percent of the people in this castle would be going about without any clean clothes."

The head chambermaid looked from one side to the other. "I don't see anyone else here requesting anything special at the moment. And what of those two over there." She pointed across the facility. "They're not doing anything. Can't they do this for me?"

The round man turned to see where she was pointing two and saw to of his workers standing about talking. "Say you two! Get back to work! This isn't a meeting hall!"

Hearing their boss yelling at them, the two men immediately got busy.

"See, we're too busy. Now go away." He shooed her away.

"Fine, and when the Lady Hitomi catches a death of cold tonight on her date with King Van, I'll be sure to inform his Majesty that it was because you refused to launder her shawl." She turned in a huff to walk away.

"Wait! You mean this is for Lady Hitomi? Why didn't you say so?" He waved her back over. "Here, here, let me see it."

She gave the shawl to the round man and he unfolded it. "Say, this is Fanelian. What are you trying to pull?" 

"I said it was for her, not that it belonged to her." The maid corrected.

"Mmm…"

"Well, are you going to do it or not?" She stomped her foot and set her fists on her hips.

"Okay, okay, come back in ten minutes, I'll see to it personally." He began to turn away.

"Ten minutes is too long. I need it in five." She insisted.

"You want everything, don't you?"

"Well, you could have had ten minutes but you decided to stand here and argue with me instead." She spat.

"Fine, fine, six minute and not a moment sooner."

"Fine, but I'll wait right here for it." She turned and sat on an old stool that was by the door.

"Suit yourself." Turning his attention to his task at hand. "You there! Lad! Hand me the brightening spray! No, the other one!" 

"What a stubborn man." She whispered under her breath as she shook her head.

"Miss Merle, why are we in the kitchen?" The vassal asked.

"Because I'm hungry. Aren't you hungry?" She said as she rolled up a thinly sliced piece of roast beef and stuffed it in her mouth. "Want some?" She held out a piece for the servant to take.

Shaking his head, he said. "No thank you. My orders are to deliver Lady Hitomi to the carriage. I need to carry out my orders." He started to turn but Merle grabbed his sleeve.

"Wait, I told you, she's not ready." Merle said as she got in front of him again. "Besides we're already here. Why not sneak a little something in your mouth. No one has to know. I promise not to tell Lord Van." She grinned as she held up a piece of cheese.

Sighing in defeat, the servant accepted the cheese and took a bite. "Mmm, this is good."

"Told ya." She grinned as she darted over to the counter again. "Here try the roast beef."

With the shawl folded neatly in her arms, the head chambermaid, made her way to Hitomi's room. A gentle smile played across her face as she wrapped on the door. "Miss Hitomi, I've returned."

"Come in Sophia." The teen replied. 

Walking into the room the maid found the teen making some finally adjustments to her hair and the band Merle had given her. Smiling at the vision in blue, the older woman walked over to her. "Here Miss, I think you will find this most appropriate."

Hitomi stood up and looked at the item in maid's arms. "Oh, my. That's lovely." She ran her hand over the light blue material. It felt soft and warm to the touch.

"May I?" Sophia unfolded it shawl and held it out.

"Oh, of course." Hitomi turned around and extended her arms out to the side.

The maid draped the material over one arm, across her upper back and then over her other arm. Making a minor adjustment so both sides were of even length, she stepped back to admire the results. 

Hitomi turned around resting her hands on her waist she asked. "Well, how do I look?" 

"You are a vision of loveliness Ma'Lady, truly a vision." The maid smiled joyfully.

"Thank you Sophia." She stole a look at herself on the mirror. "Thank you for everything."

Just then there was a soft wrap on the door, then Merle pocked her head in. "Are you ready yet?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Hitomi took a deep breath, exhaled and smiled.

Opening the door wide, Merle curtsied. "Your carriage awaits Ma'Lady."

"Ma'Lady." Sophia curtsied as well.

"Thank you both." She replied with a smile then walked out the door. 

In the hallway, the king's vassal bowed low. "Lady Hitomi, I am here to escort you to your carriage." He straightened up and offered her his arm.

Accepting it, they walked in silence down the hall. Normally, Hitomi would have started a conversation with the young man but she was much too nervous to think of anything to say, too excited to think of anyone but Van.

Stepping out into the hallway, Merle and Sophia watched the two figures retreat down the hall. Tilting her head toward the maid, Merle asked.

"That shawl. Isn't it Queen Vari's shawl?" Merle whispered.

"Yes, yes it is." Sophia answered.

"But didn't Lord Van order that nothing of his mother's should ever be disturbed?" Merle added.

"That was years ago. I'm sure he will not mind." She smiled.

"I hope you're right." Merle smiled as well with only a hint of sadness.

"Are you all right Merle?" The maid asked. "It still pains you to see Lord Van with another woman, doesn't it."

Tilting her head to the side the catgirl responded. "A little, but as long as it's Hitomi, I can live with it. Lord Van loves her so. And she's such a wonderful person. How can I hold it against her?" She gave the maid a more genuine smile this time.

"Come little one, let us go see what there is to eat in the kitchen." The middle-aged maid placed a supportive hand on the catgirl's shoulder.

"Sure, sounds good to me. I could use something to eat right now." She smiled knowingly.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Okay, I apologize. I am genuinely sorry. I thought I'd get to the date in this chapter but things just got away from me. But I promise, the next chapter will be totally dedicated to V/H's night together. I promise.

Thank you all for all your wonderful comments and support. I am again overwhelmed. To go from 200 to 300 reviews in one month is quite overwhelming. I think you all. I am so pleased, so very happy that so many of you not only enjoy my story but enjoy it enough to take the time to comment on it so regularly. It warms my heart. It really does. Thank you. Each and every one of you. ^_^ 

Well, with the exception of this chapter, I've sent the rest of my story to my newest beta-reader. He has proven most invaluable with my Eva story and I'm sure he will do just as well with this one as well. As I get updates from him, I will re-post the edited versions on ff.net. And as my story starts appearing on other websites, I'll let you know about that as well.

Again, I am sorry for not including the date here but I hope what I will give you in the next chapter will make the wait well worth it. ^_^

I love you all so very much, thank you for being out there for me.

A. Amishi


	58. Chapter 58

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 58

In the royal carriage on route from the castle to the port

---

Sitting in the carriage as it took her to her dinner engagement with the King of Fanelia, Hitomi couldn't help but have a hundred different thoughts run through her head. _'What will he think of this dress? Will he think I'm being too bold? Everyone seemed to think it was too much, or rather not enough. I thought it complemented my slender athletic figure but even my little brother thought it was too racy. What if Van thinks it makes me look trashy? What if he thinks it makes my look sluttie. What if he hates it? … Or what if he thinks it's too sexy? What if he thinks I'm trying to seduce him? What should I do if he tries to seduce me?'_ The girl started breathing short, quick breaths as her mind raced. _'That are you thinking Hitomi? This is Van, the man that loves you and the King of Fanelia. He's not some kind of lounge lizard or something. … Oh my, I think I'm hyperventilating, take long deep breaths, remember long deep breaths. … That's better. Oh, I'm going to drive myself nuts thinking about this. Just relax, relax. What will happen will simply happen, not like I can do anything about it now. The time for changing is past. Just enjoy the ride to wherever it is I'm going and enjoy my time with Van. Yes, that's right._ She closed her eyes and concentrated on his smiling face. _'He's so handsome, so kind and caring. What strange twist of fate brought me to this state? To a world no one else can see, to the side of a kind and gentle king who loves me, and whom I love with all my heart. How is it that over all the woman in the world, I should be so blessed? _She smiled then opened her eyes as she realized the carriage was slowing down. Looking up, she saw the sea and several of Fanelia's merchant ships. 

"We're at the port." She said to herself. Looking down the length of the port, she could just make out a lone figure standing near the far end. 

Gradually, the carriage made its way over toward the figure. With the horses just walking now, the carriage passed by the figure and though the sun was down, the bright moonlight revealed who the figure was in an instant. "Van!" Hitomi smiled, but her smile faded when the carriage continued on by. "Wait, what are you doing? That was Lord Van back there!" She yelled at the driver.

"Relax ma'am, I am simply bringing the carriage about. You don't want to have to walk down the dirt path in that dress do you ma'am?" The driver replied.

"Oh, no. Sorry." She blushed as she sat back into her seat.

The driver took the carriage down to the end of the patch and turned so the carriage was right along the pier, then he brought it to a gradual stop in front of the ship where the lone figure stood.

Descending the carriage, the driver opened the door and extended a hand in. Having ridden aboard carriages enough times now, Hitomi know to wait for the driver to do just this, so she took his hand and carefully exited out, taking great care with each step. _'That last thing I need to do now is step funny and end up on my butt or worse, on my face.'_ Once on firm ground the driver escorted her the three steps toward the solitary figure standing in front of the pier. 

"My Lord, the Lady Hitomi." The driver extended his arm, placing her hand onto the King's. 

"Thank you Tolliny." Van said with a smile, never taking his eyes off of Hitomi.

The driver bowed. "My Lord." Then he returned to the carriage and rode off.

For a long moment the two lovers simply gazed at each other, captivated by the sight of the other, their arms extended out in front of them, his hand holding hers ever so gently. Finally, the King of Fanelia bowed down onto one knee and softly kissed the hand of the girl from the Mystic Moon.

Rising up, he said, "Lady Hitomi, you are truly a vision of beauty and elegance." 

__

'He's being so formal, so proper, even in what he is wearing.' She thought as she admired his appearance. The suit coat he wore reminded her of the dress coat she had seen naval officers wear on TV. Except Van's was a deep crimson with gold buttons. It didn't have any epaulets on the shoulders and where the medals on a naval uniform would normally go, Van had the Crest of Fanelia. The collar was high around the neck and had the images of dragons embroidered in gold. And unlike the formal armor he wore during his coronation, this coat fit him perfectly. The slacks were a dark camel color, pressed and straight, not baggy and bunching like the pants he usually wore. They were neatly tucked into the polished black leather boots he had on. Even Van's hair was carefully combed, every strand in place, not its usual wild appearance. Following his example, she curtsied low and said, "Your Majesty embarrasses us with his flattery." When she rose she continued, "And may I say, your Majesty is quite handsome in his attire."

"I am honored by your complement Lady Hitomi." He smiled, "Shall we?" Still holding her left hand in his right, he gestured down the pier with his other hand.

"Of course, your Majesty." She gladly allowed him to escort her down the pier.

Arriving at the gangplank, Van walked onto it first, holding her hand a bit more firmly to ensure her safety. Once on the main deck, the king gestured to the captain who quickly and quietly had his skeleton crew detach the shop from the pier and launch out away from the port.

"Welcome aboard the Freya." Van said with a smile

"The Freya?" Hitomi asked inquisitively.

"Freya is the dragon goddess of love." He explained.

"A dragon goddess of love? I didn't know dragon's had love goddesses." She smiled mischievously.

"Even dragons need to procreate." He grinned with a wink.

Blushing ever so slightly, she turned her gaze from him to regain her composure.

"Come." He guided her to the port side of the ship as it sailed a few kilometers away from shore. Standing at the side of the ship, they looked out at the shoreline. "Fanelia encompasses this entire lake." He explained. "As well as part of the Agerian Sea."

"But I thought this was the sea?" Hitomi replied.

"No, we often refer to it as part of the sea because of its size but in actuality this is a freshwater lake. Six rivers feed it, and itself feeds the Agerian Sea along with twelve other rivers. The sea in turn feeds the ocean." 

"I see. So where are we going?" She asked.

"We will sail around the perimeter of the lake and dine up on the quarter deck." He gestured to the aft portion of the ship. 

"Under the stars and moons." She smiled warmly. "Sounds very romantic."

"That is what the Lady requested, isn't it?" He returned her warmth.

Taking a small step closer toward him, she placed her hand upon his chest and stared deeply into his eyes. "Yes, yes it is. Thank you my Lord. Thank you for making my wish come true."

"Thank you Lady Hitomi, for being a part of my life." He turned slightly to face her directly and gently brought his free hand around her lower back to draw her close. 

When his warm hand made contact with her bare back, the young teen let out a soft sigh as she tilted her head back and to the side slightly, and closed her eyes in anticipation of his kiss. She was not disappointed, as he gently brought his lips down onto hers. The kiss was gentle and sweet but lasted over a minute, ending only when a servant walked up to them. He remained silent and averted his attention from them but Van was aware of his presence and slowly ended the kiss. Hitomi moaned ever so softly at the absence of his lips upon hers. 

Turning his head only slightly to see the servant from the corner of his eye, the king asked. "Yes?"

"I apologize for disturbing you, my Lord but your dinner is ready." The servant bowed.

"Yes, of course." Turning back to face to young woman in his arms, the king inquired. "Shall we?"

"Aaa, y-yes, by all means." She took a half step back and permitted him once again to escort her, this time to the quarterdeck, with the servant leading the way. 

The short stairway leading to the quarterdeck was only wide enough for one person at a time. Arriving several steps ahead of the king and his companion, the servant ascended the steps first and waited at the top to assist the lady to her seat. Van gestured for Hitomi to go up the steps first. Bowing her head slightly in his direction, she began walking up the stair. Van followed close behind and in the bright moonlight he got a good look at the shawl that cover the teen's shoulders and upper have of her back. He hesitated a step as it registered with him where the shawl must have come from, but he quickly recovered and continued up the stairs. Once on the quarterdeck, the servant escorted Hitomi over to her chair. There, the servant what would be waiting on her during the meal pulled the seat out for her.   
  
"Thank you." She smiled.

"Ma'Lady." The young man bowed.  


The servant that would wait on the king during the meal, pulled out his seat and Van sat without a word, a deep pensive expression etched across his face.

Not noticing his change in demeanor, the teenaged girl looked all around her. The table where they sat was to the left of the captain's wheel and aside from her and Van, the only others on this portion of the ship were the two servants and the captain who as at the wheel. Looking up into the sky she saw countless stars that filled the night air and the bright blue hew of the moon and the earth as they cast their magical light upon them. _'This is so perfect. Van, I never imagined you would come up with such a romantic setting for us. This is going to be such a perfect night.'_

Van slowly turned his attention to the young woman sitting across from him. His mind was a jumble of mixed emotions. _'Who would have done such a thing? I gave strict instructions that my parent's quarters were never to be opened. I explicitly stated that my mother's belongings were not to be disturbed, ever. What were they thinking in giving Hitomi my mother's favorite shawl to wear?'_ At that moment he looked up at her. He saw the dreamy look in her emerald eyes and the innocent smile upon her face. For the first time, he noticed the band of flowers in her hair. _'Merle, even you did your part in helping Hitomi get ready for tonight.' _ A faint smile worked its way across his face. _'It does go well with her dress. She looks so very beautiful. … And she's… she's wearing makeup. Not too much but just enough. Mother, would you be upset knowing Hitomi was wearing your favorite shawl?'_ He considered this question for a few moments the answered to himself, _'No, I don't think she would. In fact, I'm certain, she wouldn't mind at all.'_

"Is something wrong?" The girl from the Mystic Moon asked.

Roused from his muse, the young king blinked then smiled warmly. "No, nothing's wrong. I just can't get over you incredibly beautiful you look tonight. Even more beautiful than usual." 

Blushing slightly, she tilted her head down and lowered her eyes. "Lord Van, your flattering words embarrass me."

"I only speak the truth Lady Hitomi." He smiled, enjoying this game of formality they were playing. While in some kingdoms such formality was required, Van usually did not view it as entirely necessary. More times that not, it was the people he dealt with that felt the need to stand on ceremony. But behaving in this manner now seemed to lend a certain charm, a degree of romance to the evening.

As they were being served, the emerald-eyed girl could make out some noises coming from the main deck but she remained silent and as the servants that brought up the food returned to the lower deck the night air began to be filled with the sound for stringed music. She listened to it for a little while trying to see if she could recognize the song when it dawned on her here she was. Closing her eyes for a moment she laughed silently at herself then picked up her fork to begin eating. Glancing at the man on the other end of the table she saw that he was looking at her with an amused smile on his lips.

"What? I mean, is there something you Majesty finds particularly amusing?" She corrected herself.

"Was the Lady attempting to identify the song being played?" He asked knowingly.

"You Majesty knows me too well." She blushed once again. _'This is starting to become a habit. Does he enjoy making me blush, I wonder?'_ She looked up at him. "Am I correct in assuming that his Majesty takes pleasure in my embarrassment?" She asked, trying to sound as timid as possible.

"I apologize my Lady, but your features take on a most delicate appearance whenever you blush. If I may be so bold as to say, I find it most attractive."

"Your Majesty teases me now." She looked down once again turning a brighter shade of red.

"I only speak the truth." He smiled warmly as he reached out with his hand and gently ran it over hers, taking her fingers into his. 

She paused for a moment as she thought how to phrase what she wanted to say next. "If this is truly so, then I will endeavor to maintain the red hew his Majesty seems to favor." The thought for a moment, _'yeah that's what I wanted to say… I think.'_

"Do not attempt to force that which looks most beautiful when it appears naturally." He said while gently rubbing his fingers over hers.

"As your Majesty wishes." She bowed her head.

"Come, let us enjoy our meal together." He said after several moments of silence.

"Very well your Majesty." She smiled as she picked up her knife and fork and began to eat.

They ate mostly in silence, eating slowly, purposefully, stealing glances at each other. Van watched how Hitomi cut her meat into small bite size pieces and carefully raised it to her mouth. He watched her lips close around the fork and how the fork came out of her mouth clean. He watched how her tongue would slowly run across the back of her lips barely causing them to separate so she could lick the juices from her mouth. He watched her reach for her goblet and take a sip of wine. He watched how the wine moistened her lips and how she gently stuck her tongue out to lick her lips dry. He watched her with a look of utter amazement, his eyes soft and carrying, his cheeks raised slightly with the smile he had on his face even as he ate. 

Hitomi watched how orderly and precisely Van ate. He had always seemed to be in a rush whenever he ate before, eating out of necessity rather than actually enjoying the fine foods served to him. This time he seemed to actually savor his meal. She watched him as he looked down at his food, noticing not for the first time how long and beautiful his eyelashes were. She watched him watch her, each time she saw him smiling at her, her cheeks would turn rosy and warm, which only made his smile grow. She watched how at ease he seemed in his formal attire. This perhaps surprised her most of all, considering the loose, comfortable fitting clothes Van normally wore. 

After they finished their meal they enjoyed a little more wine and talked.

"So, you actually run for pleasure?" Van asked with a skeptical look on his face.

"Yes, see in my world, long ago. Actually several thousands of years go a people called the Greeks invented something called the Olympics, which were a series of sporting events centered mostly around skills needed for war. Most of the competitors were soldiers of exceptional strength and skill. They would compete in events like running, long jumping, wrestling, spear throwing. Over the centuries sports have taken on many different forms but some of the fundamental one still remain popular. In my case, I compete in the 100 meter sprint." She explained.

"100 meters?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Umm, I guess you'd call it the 50 cubit sprint." She clarified.

"So the objective is…"

"The objective is to see who can run 50 cubits the fastest." She held her goblet just below her chin, swirling around the dark red liquid.

"And I would imagine that you are one of the very best at it." Van smiled clasping his hands together.

"Well, I am just a 10th year student, there are girls one and two years older then me, some almost three years older then me that have been running allot longer then I have. And their bodies are more mature, which gives them an advantage."

"Oh." A slight hint of disappointment crossed the young king's face.

"But if I can do well during the summer practices, I have a very good chance at beating out even our best senior sprinter. Normally, such a thing is unheard of. An underclassmen always waits their turn until the time that they are upperclassmen, but things are beginning to change in my country and an individual's abilities are being recognized despite what year they are in."

"So that is why you took Merle running this morning."

"Mmm, Hmm. I tried to explain to her the importance of stretching out before running but she wouldn't listen to me and she got a cramp. Hopefully, she'll follow my example next time." The teen smiled.

"Perhaps I will join you next time." Van smiled back as he picked up his goblet and took a small drink.

"You're teasing me now." She gave him a mockingly stern look.

"No, I'm entirely serious." And his expression bore him out. "It sounds like a good way to build endurance."

"Yes, it is." Hitomi agreed with a smile. "Well, I suppose, if you're serious, but I warn you I get up pretty early."

The conversation continued, moving from running, to the bathhouse, to the trouble with the aqueduct, to Van's hope for a solution to the problem.

"So you're going to see if any of the other kingdoms in Gaea may have the technology to overcome this setback?" She asked.

"Yes, our technology here in Fanelia is limited." Van explained. "It's entirely possible that another kingdom has encountered a similar problem and may have found a way around it. Anyway, I can't give up on this. It means everything to this cities future survival."

"You know…" She hesitated for a moment. "I could try and see if a solution to this type of problem exists on Ear… on the Mystic Moon. If you'd like?"

"Actually, I was going to ask you just that." Van stated.

"You were?" She gave him a surprised smile.

"Well, to give credit where credit is due, Sir Baschan suggested I ask you to investigate Mystic Moon technology. Perhaps your world has dealt with this problem and solved it."

"Sir Baschan suggest it?" She smiled widely.

"Yes, why? Is that a problem?" The king inquired.

"No, not at all. I'm actually quite honored that one of your ministers would think to seek my help. It's quite flattering." She smiled widely.

"You've made a strong impression on everyone in Fanelia, Lady Hitomi." He smiled warmly.

This statement caused Hitomi to blush once again.

After a brief moment of silence, Van suggested, "Would you care to dance?"

Gazing into his eyes, the emerald-eyed girl replied. "I would love to, your Majesty."

He rose from his chair and walked over to her. The servant closest to her stood ready to pull her chair out as the king took her hand. Leading the way, the young king escorted his date down the narrow steps and gestured to the quartet to play a little louder. Then taking her left hand into his right and placing his left hand on her lower back as she placed her right hand on his shoulder, he asked with a smile. "Are you ready?"

"I've never really danced like this before." She admitted.

"That's alright, just follow my lead." He assured her as he began to move slowly, keeping pace with the music.

With the entire main deck as their dance floor, they moved about freely around the ship. Hitomi's uncertainty quickly melted away as the man in her arms moved about with expert timing and grace.

Smiling widely, she said, "I must say my Lord, I did not expect you to be such an excellent dancer." 

"I wasn't, but I am a fast learner and then Princess Millerna is an excellent teacher." He explained.

"Princess Millerna?" A hint of worry made its way across her face.

"When she came to Fanelia for the celebration marking the completion of the city, I had arranged a ball in her honor for all the aid she provided us. But she insisted that I dance the first dance with her. I told her I didn't know how so she proceeded to teach me." He smiled as he twirled her round and around. "This is the result of three hours of training. Though I must admit, you have been spared the indignity of having your feet stepped on, unlike Millerna." 

Giving a gentle laugh, Hitomi replied. "I feel her pain."

"At least I didn't step on her during the ball." He grinned.

"Well, I must say, I am grateful to Queen Millerna that I am able to reap the rewards of you instruction." She smiled.

"I must say, so am I." The king returned her warm expression.

As the evening wore on, the music took on a softer, slower pace and the young king held the object of his affection more closely, as the gentle lake breezes moved the ship slowly along its route.

Feeling the soft breeze on the exposed portion of her back that Van wasn't covering with his hand sent a small shiver up her spin. 

"Are you cold? Would you like me to get you a coat or a blanket?" The concerned king asked.

"No, I'm fine. The breeze just caught me by surprise is all." She smiled. "It was a little cold on my back."

Looking down and aided by the bright moonlight the young king commented. "It looks like your back isn't the only part of your body that felt the cold."

Following his gaze, Hitomi could plainly see her taut nipples pressing against the fabric of her dress. Her head snapped back up as she stared at him in utter shock. Her cheek burned red as she let out an almost silent gasp.

Van quickly turned his head to the side as his cheeks turned equally as red. "I'm sorry Hitomi. I-I didn't mean… I'm sorry. That was so very crude of me. I can't believe I said that. I can't believe I was staring at you in that way. I'm so very sorry." He stopped dancing and said in a very solemn tone. "If you'd like to return to the castle now, I will understand completely." He closed his eyes as he berated himself for his callous words and he rude behavior. 

What happened next took him completely by surprise as he felt Hitomi's body press up against his and the side of her head, rest lightly upon his chest. 

"Are we done dancing my Lord? I sincerely hope not." She whispered gently.

Tightening his hold upon the vision in blue, the young king began moving slowly to the sound of the music once again, as he rested his cheek on top of the young teen's head.

"I love you so very much Hitomi." He whispered.

"And I love you Van." She replied, moving her hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself the pleasure of feeling safe and secure in his arms. 

They continued to dance for over an hour but to the both of them, it felt as if it were just a matter of moments. But as the late night winds began to blow a bit stronger, and the waters began to get a little rough, the young King of Fanelia decided it was probably best if they returned to the castle. 

As the ship slowly approached the pier, Van and Hitomi stood at the aft of the quarterdeck looking up at the sky together. With her standing in front of him, cradled in his arms, her head resting gently upon us upper chest, she sighed. "Van, thank you. Thank you for the most romantic time of my life."

"Thank you for being here and making this night possible." He whispered in her ear then kissed it.

"Mmm." She snuggled a little closer to him, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of being in his arms.

Suddenly an image appeared in her mind's eye. A very young Van, weeping from the knowledge that her mother had gone away and would most likely never return. Then the image of a little older Van standing in his parent's empty room as silent tears ran down his face. Then the image of yet a little older Van holding a folded piece of material in his arms, whispering the words**_, "Mother, why did you leave me Mother? Why?"_** Finally, the image of Van handing the material over to Sophia and instructing her**_. "Put this away and lock this room. No one is ever to enter this room again. No one is ever to handle my parent's garments or belongings ever again. Is that understood?"_** She nodded her understanding and placed the folded cloth in a large chest at the foot of the bed then placed other garments on top of it. But before she placed anything else on it, Hitomi got a good look at the cloth. It was the shawl she was wearing. 

Her eyes flew opens as she gasped in shock, pulling away from the man that was holding her.

"Hitomi? What's wrong?" A startled Van asked.

Turning to face him, her expression was one of deep sorrow. "This shawl was your mother's. Why didn't you tell me?" She started taking it off. "I shouldn't be wearing this." 

"No. It's all right Hitomi." The king reached out to stop her from removing the shawl. "Really, it is."

"But I saw it Van. I saw the sadness you went through when your mother left. I saw you order Sophia never to allow anyone in your parent's room ever again." She told him.

"That was a long time ago Hitomi, when I was still quite young." He held her arms in an effort to keep her from removing the shawl. "I didn't say anything because…" He sighed with a smile. "Because it looked so perfect on you. I know my mother would approve of you wearing it. And I approve of it as well." He pulled it up to where it belonged. "In fact, I would be honored if you would keep it."

"Ar-are you serious Van?" The teen's eyes grew wide as a faint smile crossed her lips but it vanished almost as fast. "No Van, that wouldn't be right. It was your mothers. You shouldn't…"

"I shouldn't what? Move on with my life, with your life. My father is dead; my mother is gone. I saw her when we went to the Mystic Valley. We said our good-byes. I've made my peace with my past Hitomi. Please, nothing would make me happier at this moment then to give this to you." He said, his expression was one of the utmost sincerity. 

Hitomi stared up at him for a long moment, then lifted herself up on her toes, leaning forward as she pressed her lips against his. Taking a half step foreword, Van enveloped her in his arms and pulled her close as he deepened their kiss. With her arms around his neck now and his around her back holding her close, she did something they never did before while kissing. She slowly opened her mouth and ran gently ran her tongue across his lips.

Van's eyes shot open in surprise but he didn't break the kiss. Instead he stared at her for a moment as she continued to kiss him and run her tongue across his lips as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do. Slowly he closed his eyes and opened his mouth as well, and as they both explored each other's lips, mouth and tongue; they each moaned, expressing the pleasure they were feeling.

As the ship docked, and was secured to the pier, Van and Hitomi walked hand in hand over to the boarding plank. Once all was secure, they disembarked and made their way to the waiting carriage. With the driver holding the door open, Van assisted Hitomi into the carriage then he climbed in and sat next to her. She slid closer to him sliding her arm under his and clasping his hand as she rested the side of her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you Van." She said.

"You've already thanked me Hitomi." He smiled.

"Thank you for everything. Thank you for loving me, thank you for being so wonderful, thank you for … for being you." She looked up at him; her emerald-eyes glimmering with unshed tears of joy. "Thank you."

Van reached over with his other hand and caressed her cheek then tilted his head toward hers. The kiss they shared was sweet and innocent, and filled with the love they shared for each other. As they began to move, Hitomi rested her head back upon his shoulder and gently hummed the melody of one of the pieces of music the quartet played during the night. Closing her eyes, she relived the moment and slowly brought the back of Van's hand to her lips and kissed it softly.

Smiling joyfully, the young king turned his head in her direction and kissed her on the top of her head then leaned back and enjoyed the melody she hummed.

Arriving at the castle, Van exited the coach first, holding onto Hitomi's hand to assist her out. He then escorted her to her quarters. Upon reaching her chambers, the teen turned to face the man she loved and placing a hand softly upon his chest, she smiled lovingly and said. "I know you said I already thanked you, but I just have to say once again. Thank you for a magical evening. I could never have dreamed for a night more perfect than this one was."

"It was entirely my pleasure Hitomi. Thank you for being here with me." He smiled then slowly allowed the smile to fade as he leaned in and kissed her, gently, softly at first but gradually their passion for each other consumed then as they tightened their hold upon each other. After several minutes, they stood still in each other's arms, cheek to cheek, both breathing deeply, inhaling the other's scent. After several more minutes, Van finally whispered. "Goodnight, my lovely Hitomi."

Whispering back, "Goodnight my love." Hitomi grudgingly unfolded herself from his hold. Keeping their eyes on each other, she backed up till she was pressing up against the door. Without looking, she searched for the door handle. Eventually finding it, she opened the door slowly and backed into the room and as she gradually closed the door she whispered ever so softly, "Goodnight my love."

Mouthing his works, Van replied. "Goodnight my love." The king remained standing outside the door for a few moments as a joyful smile spread across his face. Slowly he turned and walked down the hall toward his chambers humming the same piece of music Hitomi had been humming earlier.

In her chambers, Hitomi imagined she was still dancing with the man of her dreams as she twirled around the room, slowly making her way past the changing curtains. A few minutes later she emerged in her nightgown and continued dancing about the room with a look of pure joy on her face. As she passed the mirror, she paused and smiled at herself. Then she curtsied low. "My dearest Lord Van." Rising back up she noticed that the flowered hair band was still on her head. She carefully removed it, smiling widely as she recalled Merle placing it ever so carefully on her head. "Thank you Merle." She set it down on the dresser very carefully so as not to damage any of the flowers. Then she glided over to her bed. The chambermaid had already turned down the sheets for the night and she ran her hand over the silk like sheets before climbing into bed. Pulling the sheets up tightly around her and her pillow close to her, she closed her eyes and smiled. "I love you Van. I love you so very much. Thank you for the most romantic night of my life. Thank you." The image of the man she loved appeared to her as clear as day and her smile grew as she could almost feel him kissing her. Within seconds she was sound asleep, dreaming of Van and their life together in Fanelia.

~~~~~~~~~

AN: I hope this lived up to all your expectations. Sorry for making you wait so long for it but I didn't want to rush it at all. I wanted to write what felt right and this felt right. I hope you agree that this was a most romantic evening. Sorry for getting everyone worried over the shawl but that seemed like a good way for him to face his past and let Hitomi know he has put it behind him. There will be more of that in the next few chapters as well. 

I must say, I was overwhelmed by the response to my last chapter. I really didn't expect it to draw as many reviews as it did. I thank each and every one of you who took the time to review it. Again, I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. 

I hope not to take more then a week to post the next chapter but work is really hectic for me this week. Going into work Monday, I already have about a dozen tasks I'll need to take care of, and that's not mentioning all the unexpected fires that flare up during the course of the day. No using this as an excuse but rather as an explanation incase I don't get the next chapter uploaded by mid-week. 

Hope you all had a wonderful week and will have a wonderful and safe week ahead. ^_^

A. Amishi


	59. Chapter 59

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 59

Hitomi's Chamber

---

The dreaming image of Van and her dancing round and round aboard the main deck of the Freya filled Hitomi's subconscious. She softly sighed as a wide smile spread across her face, even reaching her sleeping eyes. Suddenly a loud and annoying beeping sound chased this image away as her eyes sprang open. Squeezing them shut again, she moaned and pulled her pillow over her head. "It's too early." She groaned.

Her alarm continued to beep for several minutes as the teen tried her best to ignore its obnoxious noise. Because of the foggy state her mind was in, she was not sure if the faint sounds she was hearing were actual noises in her room or if it were just her subconscious playing tricks on her. Sounds like a door being opened and closed gently, soft footfalls across the floor, the muffled tapping on a plastic surface and what she later realized was a hushed meow gradually started to make sense to her but not soon enough to help her prevent Merle from sending her alarm clock flying across the room.

"MEOW!!" The catgirl's eyes went wide in shock.

Sitting up in an instant, Hitomi looked in the direction where the clock hit the wall. Pieces were everywhere. "Merle! You broke my clock!" The teen fumed.

"I'm sorry! But it wouldn't turn off. I didn't mean to break it. I just meant to knock it to the floor. I guess it's a lot lighter then I thought." She gave her friend an innocent grin as she clasped her hands together and held them next to her cheek.

"AAAAAHH!" Hitomi let herself fall back onto her bad again. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"It's time to go for our run, remember." Merle bounded over to the bed and sat down. "You said yesterday that no matter what, you were going for your run, because you're in training. Now come on, get up." The catgirl gave her friend a not so gentle shake.

"Okay! Okay! I'm up, I'm up!" The teen sat up but kept her eyes closed. 

"You must have stayed out very late with Lord Van for you to be this tired." The catgirl grinned wickedly. "I guess you had a nice time last night."

Slowly Hitomi opened her eyes as a wide toothless smile spread across her lips. "It was wonderful. Van must be the most romantic man alive." She declared as she wrapped her arms around herself and sighed in complete contentment. 

"Well, you can tell me all about it when we get back from our run, but now…" The feline grabbed the sheets and tossed them to the side then grabbed Hitomi by her ankles and pulled her legs over the side of the bed, "it's time to get up and get ready." 

"Okay already!" Hitomi slid the rest of the way off the bed by herself. "I'm up already. Sheesh!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to help." Merle said as she folding her arms under her chest and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Well, if you really want to help, you can go and wake up Van while I get dressed." The teen said as she made her way over to the washbasin.

"Lord Van is going to run with us?" Merle smiled.

"Mmm hmm," The teen smiled. "He said he would last night. Of course, he may be too tired to join us today. So if he is, just let him sleep."

"Okay, but you should know, Lord Van is probably already up. He doesn't sleep much nowadays." Merle said as she sprang toward the door. 

"He doesn't? Why not?" Hitomi wrinkled her brow.

Shrugging, the catgirl simply stated. "I don't know but he hasn't slept more then a few hours a night ever since the war." With that she added, "I'll meet you outside, with or without Lord Van." Then she was gone.

Changing into her workout clothes and deciding not to wear her warm-up outfit this day, Hitomi laced up her running shoes and grabbed her track shoes before heading for the door.

Merle sat at the foot of Van's bed with the look of utter amazement upon her face as she stared at the sleeping king. She couldn't help be smile as she observed his peaceful face.

"I don't think I've ever seen you look so totally at peace again, Lord Van, so totally… happy." She whispered as a smile crept its way across her lips as well. "I guess I just found another reason to love Hitomi. Anyone who can make my Lord Van this happy deserves to be loved." She gently slid off the bed and quietly made her way toward the door.

"Was there something you needed Merle?" A soft but authoritative voice said.

Stopping in her tracks, her face turning red with a since of guilt for waking her friend and king. The feline slowly turned around to face him. "Lord Van, you're awake." She smiled.

"It's alright Merle. I'm guessing you came to wake me so I can join you and Hitomi on her training?" He said as he sat up.

"Hmm, well yeah… but Hitomi said if you were too tired, just to let you sleep." She grinned.

"Well, since I'm up now, I suppose I'll join you. Can you give me a minute?" He gave her a half grin.

"Oh! Of course Lord Van, I'll be right outside." She said then quickly turned and headed out the door.

A few minutes later, Van exited his chambers wearing his signature red sleeveless shirt, loose fitting tan pants and his boots. "Okay, where to?" He asked.

"To the garden at the back of the castle." They walked side by side. "We have to stretch out first." Merle explained.

"Stretch out? Is that really necessary?" The young king asked.

"Of course Lord Van. Stretching out properly is important. It warms up the muscles before running to prevent injury."

"If you say so Merle." He gave her a sideways smile.

Hitomi was already busy stretching out. Still reliving the events of last night in her mind, she loosened up her muscles with a smile on her face, and when she spotted Merle and Van approach, her smile grew.

"Good morning Hitomi!" The young king called out.

"Good morning Van!" She replied.

"Hey, wait for me!" Merle yelled as she plopped down on the ground next to the teen and began stretching as well.

"So what exactly are you doing?" Van asked, putting his fist on his hip.

"It's important to properly warm up your muscles before running in order to prevent injury. Stretching is like a wake up call to the different muscles in you body." The smiling teen said.

"You better listen to her Lord Van. I spent half the day in bed yesterday because I didn't." Merle pronounced.

Shrugging indifferently, Van set down on the ground and began imitating the movements Hitomi was performing.

After about twenty minutes, the three got up and prepared to run. "So where exactly do you run?" Van asked.

"Well, yesterday, we ran to the port. There's a big open field next to it where I can do my sprints." Hitomi answered.

"Really? That's at least six hundred cubits from here. That's quite a distance." Van expressed genuine surprise.

"That's just the warm up." Merle boasted. "Wait till we get there." She turned and started running. "Come on! I'll set the early pace this time!" She yelled as she ran upright.

Grabbing her track shoes, one in each hand, Hitomi took off after her. "Come on Van! Don't be left behind!" She smiled as she turned around running backwards for a few steps before turning back around to follow her young friend.

Van shook his head and whispered. "What did I get myself into?" Then he started running after them.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: First let me start off by saying thank you to everyone for your wonderfully supportive comments. I really do appreciate them. I'm so glad you enjoyed that last chapter. It was very special to me. And I'm glad that it showed.

Oh, before I forget, to those who don't know, S&M refers to the sexual fetish of Sadism and Masochism. A person who is a sadist is one who gains sexual pleasure from inflicting physical or emotional pain or abuse. A masochist is one who gains sexual pleasure from receiving physical or emotional pain or abuse.

From a few chapters earlier, Hitomi was teasing Van that she was not into this type of sexual fetish when Van suggested she could have him horse whipped if he failed to provide her with a romantic evening.

So what do you think? Will Hitomi have to break out the whip??? ^_^

I was going to make this chapter longer but after re-reading it, I decided this was a good stopping point for what will follow. If I continue on, it will go on for several pages and I won't end up updating till next week. 

I'll try and break up what I have in mind so I'll be able to make at least one more update before Sunday.

I know this chapter is an emotional let down after the last chapter, but think of it as taking a series of long deep breaths before diving into the water again. ^_^

A. Amishi


	60. Chapter 60

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 60

Along the path toward the lake

---

With sweat running down his face, Van spoke between ragged breaths. "This is rather invigorating." He tried to smile.

Hitomi just smiled back.

"Hey, why are you running slower then you did yesterday?" Merle yelled from the other side of her.

A guilty expression appeared in the teenager's face. 

"Don't… hold back… because of me… Hitomi. You're in training. You need to… push yourself… if you are going… to improve." Van said between labored breaths.

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "Okay Van." Then she kicked it into high gear leaving Van and Merle behind.

Van's eyes went wide as Hitomi continued to get further and further away.

"Alright! Now this is like yesterday!" The catgirl yelled as she quickened her pace as well. 

"My goodness." Van said to himself as he tried to run faster but was unable to keep pace with either girl.

Hitomi and Merle were on the open field stretching out again when Van came into view. Spotting the girls, he slowed to a walk as he struggled for air. 

Seeing her king, Merle commented, "Eew! Lord Van, you're all sweaty."

Putting his hand on his knees, he just nodded as he continued to suck air.

"Are you alright Van?" The brown-haired girl asked, her eyes wide with concern.

"I'll… I'll… be… fine… just… need… to catch… my breath." He continued to breath heavily.

"Oookay. Well, why don't you sit down and catch your breath then. You can start stretching out as soon as you feel up to it." Hitomi said as she stood up, having changed into her track shoes already. She picked up her running shoes and marked off 100 meters with them.

"What is she doing?" Van asked Merle as he plopped down on the ground.

"She's marking off 50 cubits so she can start her real training." Merle answered.

"Real training? What was this?" He gestured in the direction of the path they just came from.

"Oh, that's just a warm up for Hitomi. Running sprints is her real training." Merle informed him.

"Sprints?" He gave her a confused look.

"You'll see." She jumped up and kicked off her sandals. "Wait for me Hitomi!" She yelled as she ran over to her friend.

Van watched as Hitomi explained to Merle the proper way to set herself to get ready to run. After a few minutes of explanation and demonstration, the taller girl called over to him. 

"Van! Can you yell out, READY… SET… GO! Just like that please." 

"Sure!" He replied. "When?"

"Now will be fine." She smiled

He nodded his understanding then started. "READY!"

The two girls took their places at the start line. 

"SET!"

They got down on all fours.

"GO!" 

Merle sprang to an early lead with a long horizontal jump but within five strides, Hitomi had caught up with her and by the time they were at the halfway point, she was in the lead. The finish wasn't even close as Hitomi passed the marker a good two and a half strides ahead of Merle.

"Amazing." Van whispered as his eyes continued to grow with each step Hitomi took. After taking a few minutes to catch their breath, they lined up again and Hitomi waved over to him indicating they were ready to do it over again. He repeated the three words once again and again they exploded out from the start line. This time Hitomi got a better start and finished a whole four strides ahead of Merle.

She repeated this twelve more times, taking time out occasionally to stretch out again before lining up to race. After losing to Hitomi eight times in a row, Merle decided she had had enough and went to sit down next to Van. After running four sprints by herself, Van got up and lined up with her.

"Van, what are you doing?" Hitomi's eyes went wide with shock.

"I'm going to run against you." He said. "You don't mind, do you?"

"N-no, not at all." She answered hesitantly. "Okay Merle, you know how to do it!" She signaled the catgirl.

The catgirl waved back and started, "READY!"

The two took their positions.

"Don't go easy on me Hitomi. Give it all you've got. I know I can't run as fast as you. I just want to get an idea of how fast I can run and I can't do that if you take it easy on me." He said softly.

"SET!

They got down on all fours.

"Set your hands like this and bring your legs closer in, think of it as making your body into a spring. You want to launch yourself out of the starting block." She paused a second. "Okay Van, I'll give it my all." She replied.

"GO!"

Following her own advice, she launched herself out of the start and was a good two steps ahead of Van before he finished his first step. Van pushed himself as best he could but seeing Hitomi pull further and further away took its toll on his psyche as he slowed down noticeably after he reached the halfway point.

Almost instantly, he heard Merle scream, "Don't give up Lord Van!"

But at that point it was too late. He didn't have the ability to seriously quicken his pace, and finished nearly twelve steps being Hitomi 

As her breathing returned to normal, Hitomi walked up to Van and said with a painfully serious expression. "What was that you said about giving my all?"

"Your right. I didn't give that my all. If you're up to doing it one more time, I'd like another chance." He replied.

"Once more, but then that's it. I want to make sure I don't over do it either." She said as she got into position and signaled Merle. Turning to Van she added. "By the way, don't focus on me when you're running. Focus on finish line. Focus on getting to the finish line as fast as you can, not on trying to keep pace with me."

Van nodded and with all the determination and concentration he exhibited during the tournament against Allen, he focused on the task at hand. Blocking out everything except Merle's voice he got in position when he heard her say, "READY!" 

He repeated to himself, _'like a spring, like a spring,'_ when he heard her say, "SET!" 

And he got down on all fours, just like Hitomi had showed him. He looked up and spotted Hitomi's shoe that served as the marker for the finish. It sat right between them just as the shoe on this end did. _'Like a spring.'_ He repeated once more to himself. "GO!"

Pushing off as hard as he could, his peripheral vision told him that Hitomi was already in the lead but he focused on his objective none-the-less. Running as fast as he could, he remained totally focused on the shoe at the other end of the field. The closer he got to it, the harder he pushed himself; pumping his arms harder and harder. And as he passed the finish line, he let out a sigh of relief and a smile crossed his face.

Slowly walking over to Merle, Hitomi sat back down and started stretching again and Merle mirrored her every movement. After watching them for a few minutes, Van sat down and followed suit. "So how far behind her was I this time Merle?" He asked.

"Hmm, well, not as far behind as last time Lord Van." The catgirl give him a worried smiled.

"Don't worry Merle, I won't be upset." He smiled back.

"Well, to be honest Lord Van, you were seven steps behind her." She answered timidly.

"Oh, why wasn't I thinking?" Hitomi yelled, catching the other two off-guard.

"Thinking about what?" Van asked.

"You're still wearing the pendant, aren't you?" She asked.

"Of course." He pulled it out from under his shirt.

"We could have used the pendant to keep time." She replied. "Oh well, next time I suppose." She followed up with a smile.

When she was done stretching out, she got up and walked over to pick up her running shoes. Changing into them, she walked back over to her companions. "Ready to go?" She asked.

Getting her sandals back on, Merle asked Hitomi, "So how are we getting back to the castle today?" She looked over at the port, which was deserted.

"Today, we run back." The teen answered.

"Run back!" Van and Merle said in unison.

"Don't worry. The run back will be a lot easier. We'll just go at a nice easy pace. It's more of a cool down run." She smiled. "Come on." She said as she started running down the path.

The two Fanelians sighed then started running after her. 

True to her word, the pace Hitomi set was nice and easy, and with Van at her side she took the opportunity to glance over at him and see how he was running. After observing him for a few minutes, she commented. "You know Van, if you swing your arms front to back, instead of side to side, the way you do; you'll save yourself a lot of energy when you run, and you'll run faster as well."

"Front to back?" He gave her a questioning look.

"Just watch the way I run and try to run the same way." She said.

After watching her for a little while, Van tried to duplicate her running style but after a few minutes said, "It feels unnatural."

Looking at him again, Hitomi smiled. _'It looks it too.'_ But she replied, "It will for a while, till you get used to it, but trust me. You'll start feeling and seeing the difference in a couple of days."

As the three of them ran down the path toward the castle, a feeling of contentment began to fill the young teen's heart. Running along side the man she loved and her best friend on Gaea, a joyful smile spread across her lips and she felt like she was running on air.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, still keeping things light for now. Hope you enjoyed this little piece. Now, you didn't really expect Van to be able to keep up with Hitomi, did you? ^_^

By the way, I'd like to say THANKS to Datexan and especially to Fushizen na for there help in editing this chapter. You guys did a great job. Thank you both so very much. ^_^

Things should get a little more interesting next chapter. I hope to have it up early next week but I do need to update some of my other stories as well. So we shall see.

Again, thank you all for your wonderful reviews and words of support and encouragement. I love them all and I love you all.

Have a great weekend,

A. Amishi


	61. Chapter 61

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 61

The palace courtyard

---

Sir Beckett's attention was diverted from training his men when they all stopped fighting and stared in the direction of the entryway. Turning to see what they were looking at he saw the young lady from the Mystic Moon as she slowed to a walk, her arms folded over her head as she worked to catch her breath. 

"Ah, Lady Hitomi!" The Minister of Defense raised his hand into the air.

Turning to see who was calling her, Hitomi smiled and waved back. "Good morning Minister!" After a moment she noticed the eyes of all his soldiers were on her. Blushing slightly, she waved to them as well. "Good morning gentleman!" As she reasoned_, 'I bet their not used to seeing a woman wear clothes like these.'_ She looked down at her running shorts. _'Maybe I better make sure I take my warm-ups along from now on.'_

Just then Merle came up the entryway followed a few seconds later by Van. 

Gasping for air, the young king said. "I thought… you said… you were going… to… take it easy… …on the way… back." He placed his hands on his knees as he sucked in air.

"Keep walking Van, and don't stop until your heart rate returns to normal." She instructed him. "And that goes for you to Merle." She turned her attention to the catgirl who had already plopped herself down on the floor.

"Aaa!" The feline jumped up and started walking around casually.

Captain Cid, who had been practicing with Captain Leopold, stared with a look of indignation as he saw the woman walk up to his king.

"They make a handsome couple. Wouldn't you agree." Leopold said, smiling at the sight ahead.

"If you say so." Cid responded.

"I can only hope I can someday garner the fancy of a woman such as her." His eyes wandered from the young couple to the young feline who was still walking about casually.

A wicked smile appeared on the face of his fellow captain, who replied. "With your charms Leopold, I'm certain you will be destined to die a lonely old hermit." 

Gasping at the insult the young captain turned to his friend and said with mock anger. "That is in insult Sir. You shall pay for such insolence." He raised his sword.

"Ah, perhaps now you will prove a more worthy advisory." Cid assailed him again as he too raised his sword.

"You mock me still." Leopold's expression grew more serious. "Prepare to fight." With that, the two young captains began dueling once again.

"You can bathe first if you like." Hitomi offered, standing just centimeters in front of Van.

"No, go ahead. It's time for my training now." He tilted his head in the direction of the soldiers.

"Oh, I see. A-all right. Will I see you at breakfast?" She asked hesitantly.

Van took a half step toward her and gently ran his hands over her lower back as he brought his face within a breath of hers. "Probably not. Training usually runs long. But I will see you at lunch. I promise." He smiled warmly.

The warmth of his smile brought back memories of the night before as she smiled back and slowly brought her hands up around the back of his neck. "Mmm, well. If I can't trust the promise of a king, what can I trust?" And she slowly closed her eyes as she pressed her lips to his, her hands mingling up into his hair. 

Van slid his hands up slightly, pulling her into a tighter embrace as he opened his mouth and gently requested access with his tongue into hers. She readily obliged him, opening her mouth and receiving him willingly. 

Their kiss lasted several minutes, only ending when the sounds of hooting and howling from the soldiers invaded their ears. Hitomi's cheeks immediately turned bright red as she turned her head away from the crowd and pressed her cheek against his chest.

Shooting a stern look at his men, they instantly stopped and went back to their training. He then turned his attention back to the young woman in his arms. "It's okay Hitomi. They were just teasing." 

"I don't act like this, not in public. I never do anything like this. What's come over me?" She wondered out loud.

"Love has." Van answered. 

She looked up into his eyes.

"Do you think I would have been capable of anything like last night if it weren't for my love for you." He smiled. "I haven't danced since I was a small boy and only with my mother."

Smiling back at him once again, she said. "Then I better watch myself. There's no telling what I might do."

Van's smile widened and he leaned in to kiss her again but she pulled back slightly, her eyes quickly darting over at the soldiers then back at him. Repeating her actions, the young king nodded his understanding then lean forward quickly and gave her a gently peck on the lips. 

"I'll see you at lunch then." He said as he let his hands slide away from around her back and softly over her hands.

"I'll be looking forward to it." Hitomi's smile grew as she watched him turn and head over toward his men. She gave a quiet sigh as she bent down to pick up her track shoes then started heading for the castle entrance. "Come on Merle. It's time to take a bath." She said to her friend.

"It's about time you two finished being all mushy with each other." The feline teased. "Anymore if it and I think I might be sick."

"Oh shut up!" 

"Hehehe."

"What, jealous?"

"Shut up!"

"Hehehe."

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Okay, not too serious here but I didn't have the heart to make it serious while Van and Hitomi were still together. Sorry for the delay in updating this week, I hope to update more then once a week but work is really hectic right now. In my anime-viewing group, we just finished watching Escaflowne last Sunday. It's hard to keep from crying in front of 11 other people. *Sigh* 

Again, thank you all for your reviews. It's always a joy to open my email and see the review alerts waiting for me to read. ^_^ They really make my day. And I'm so glad you all have been enjoying my story. I can only hope I can continue to entertain you. 

Take care, I love you all.

A. Amishi


	62. Chapter 62

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 62

At the Palace Courtyard

---

Sir Beckett said to his king as he approached. "It appears his Majesty has already had quite a workout this morning." The large man smiled.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Van replied, "That was just a warm up. The real workout begins now." _'If he only knew. All I want to do now is soak in a hot bath for a week.'_

A young squire, no more then ten, ran up to the king and handed him a sword. "Your Majesty." The lad bowed his head. 

Van grabbed the sword and secured it around his waist then he began his regular ritual of walking down the rows of soldiers who were training with each other. When he saw one who showed particular promise he would stop and observe him for a few minutes. He would offer words of advice and if he felt as if a little personal instruction was needed he would step in and train with the young warrior himself.

After about an hour of this, he then preceded to train with each of his six captains. Each was older then the young king by at least two years but none could match his prowess with the sword. And as usual he saved his last two bouts with his two finest young swordsmen, Leopold and Cid.

Leopold Chezaress was a 17-year old lieutenant under Colonel Beckett in the Chezario Army. Beckett and several of his young officers, including Leopold, were so inspired by the Fanelian King during the battle against the Zaibach Empire that they requested leave from the Chezarian Army. They then immigrated to Fanelia and to serve under the young king. Leopold's departure from Chezario caused quite a stir since he was nineteenth in line for that kingdom's throne. While no one expected the crown to fall upon him, the idea that a member of the royal family would renounce his allegiance to his homeland and go serve another king was unheard of. Even Van tried to persuade him to return home, but the young officer would not be swayed. Now, about eight months since his arrival, he had risen to the rank of Captain and was regarded as one of the two best young swordsmen in the Fanelian Army.

Van's matches with Leopold were always spirited, an exercise in technique and form. But Leopold's unwillingness to execute a serious attack on his king always resulted in Van's anger being levied against his captain. The lessons he learned from Balgus and the experience he acquired during war stayed with him, and he tried to instill these lessons on his officers as well. 

Leopold's attack was easily blocked and countered by Van, who pressed his captain until he lost his footing and ended up on his backside, his sword on the ground next to him and his king's sword held dangerously close to his throat.

"You continue to hold back. A warrior must always fight with everything within him. When you attack, you must attack with only one intention in mind. Anything less and you're as good as dead." The Fanelian King lectured his captain.

Casting his eyes down in shame, the young captain replied. "Yes my Lord. I shall try harder next time." 

"That is what you say every time Leopold and every time it is the same thing with you." Van lowered his sword and extended his hand to assist the captain up. 

While Leopold stood a several centimeters taller than his king, in his eyes, Van was the tallest, bravest man he had ever known. He bowed low and said, "I humbly apologize my King for repeatedly failing to follow your instructions. I have no excuse for my insubordination."

The captain's loyalty and humility never failed to soften the king's demeanor as he sighed. "It's all right Leopold. You have great technique, just learn to fight more aggressively and you can be a great swordsman someday." He patted the young man on the shoulder then turned his attention to the last of his captains. The captain, Van enjoyed dueling against the most.

Cid Tenecia was from a long line of soldiers. First from the now non-existent Tazerian Kingdom what was annexed by the Zaibach Empire, his family, along with many other Tazerians, fled to the neighboring kingdom of Fanelia. There, his father and older brothers served under King Gaou. By a strange twist of fate, he was spared the fate of his father and brothers when Zaibach attacked because his mother insisted that at least one of her sons stay home and tend to the family farm. A small plot of land hardly large enough to be called a garden, let alone a farm. Being the youngest, though already 18; that lot fell to him. During the exodus, his mother passed away as well and when Fanelia was restored, he immediately enlisted, rising in rank quickly. He dedicated himself to restoring his family's proud military tradition as well as striving to achieve glory and honor for himself. And while he had reservations about serving under a king that was half-Draconian; he could not deny Van's skill with the sword and in battle. That, and the fact that Fanelia bordered Zaibach, seemed to ensure the young captain that his opportunity to prove himself in war was simply a matter of time and patience on his part. 

Cid charged with fierce concentration and determination. About the same height as Leopold but slightly larger build, he quickly drove his king back by sheer strength as he attacked with a flurry of sweeping sword strokes. With each stroke, the captain's confidence grew as he pressed the attack. 

__

'You're mine Fanelia, this time I shall defeat you and prove myself the greatest swordsman in the kingdom.' He pressed on.

With Van's defenses seemingly weakening from the older, larger man's unyielding attack, Cid increased the fury of his attack. For a moment everyone else stopped practicing as they seemed to be witnessing their king's first defeat when suddenly Van took a quick side-step and spun around striking the overzealous captain hard in the side, below his arm and against his rib with the butt of his sword. 

The blow was so hard and so sudden that the young captain was in utter shock for several moments before the pain finally registered and he quickly cradled his side, his sword falling from his hand. Slowly, he dropped to one knee as he gasped for air. 

Sheathing his sword before removing the belt from around his waist, Van handed it over to the squire who came running up to him the moment he lowered the blade. Then walking over to his captain, he took his arm and assisted him back up to his feet. 

"You hold nothing back in your attacks. That's good, but you also need to remain aware of your opponent's movements and not solely concentrate on your own. Had you been paying attention, you would have noticed that I was drawing you in. I allowed you to believe that I was weakening thus causing you to loose focus on the overall battle. You were consumed with the prospect of defeating me, which caused you to get sloppy and allowed me to strike a lethal blow. Had that been the edge of my sword, you'd be dead right now." Van lectured him.

The defeated opponent nodded his understanding while averting his eyes from his king. 

"Good. You should be proud of yourself Cid. You improve each time we fight. I'm sure, one day; you'll make a great swordsman. Perhaps good enough to represent our kingdom against Asturia's finest in one of their tournaments." Van smiled as he patted the captain on the back. Turning toward Leopold, he said. "Take him to the physician to have the rib looked at."

"Yes my Lord." Leopold bowed then assisted his friend into the castle.

"All right you dogs, back to your training." Beckett yelled. Causing all the men to jump slightly before returning to their training. 

"You certainly have a way with the men." Van observed as he walked up next to his minister.

"Thank you my Lord. I try." The tall man said with a smile.

The young king struggled to surpass his laughter, casually raising his hand in front of his mouth and pretending to cough.

"Let go of me!" Cid insisted. "I can manage on my own." He took a few steps then nearly buckled over in pain.

"Yes, I see. You're managing quite well." Leopold stood to the side with his fists at his waist.

Cid just looked up at him with narrowed eyes. 

Shaking his head as a smile came across his face, Leopold walked over to his friend. "Come on; let's get you to the physician."

Moaning his displeasure at being assisted, Cid mumbled under his breath. "I can't believe Lord Van humiliated me like that."

Snickering at the idea, the younger man replied, "No, I was humiliated, you were simply defeated."

Turning his head slightly to face the other man, "But you heard him. He was just toying with me."

"He was using his superior experience against your overly aggressive attack." The younger captain countered. "Besides, he also said he thinks you may someday be able to challenge the finest swordsmen Asturia has to offer. Now wouldn't that be a glorious victory." He smiled with a sense of excitement.

"I'd rather enjoy a glorious victory on the field of battle than in some circus spectacle." Cid grimaced in pain.

"I, for one, would be only too glad never to have to raise my sword in battle ever again." Leopold responded as he assisted his friend down the hall.

"What, you fear battle? Then why be a soldier?" The injured man replied.

"I do not fear it, nor do I fear my own death. I would gladly sacrifice my life for my new king and my adopted country. But I have no delusions about the glory of war. In war, there is no glory, only death and destruction." The Chezarian said.

"So you'd rather remain a captain your whole military life, never achieving the title of samurai just so you could avoid another war?" The Tazerian replied.

"I would gladly serve as a squire till I was old and feeble if it would guarantee peace throughout all of Gaea." 

Stopping to turn and stare at his friend, Cid replied. "Now I know you are lying. You were raised in the courts of Chezario. Trained to be a warrior since you could walk. And you mean to stand there and tell me you'd be content, no rather joyful to go the rest of your life never experiencing the fury of battle ever again?"

"I lie not. You weren't there. You didn't see the carnage brought about in that final battle against the Zaibach Empire. Don't misunderstand me. If called upon to fight, I shall, without hesitation. But it is nothing a relish, unlike you. You seem to thirst for the opportunity to wage war." Leopold countered. While looking at his fellow captain, the fair-haired captain noticed a familiar sight coming in their direction. Stepping aside so as to be plainly seen, he smiled and said. "Hello Miss Merle, it is good to see you today."

Merle stopped, as she was just about to turn down an adjacent hall and regarded the two soldiers. "Captain, what are you doing in this part of the castle?"

"Oh, Lord Van instructed me to assist Captain Cid here over to the palace physician." He replied with a smile.

"Ah, trying to go all out against Lord Van again? I've seen you before Captain, always attacking Lord Van like you want to kill him or something." The catgirl narrowed her eyes at the injured soldier. "You're lucky Lord Van is such a great swordsman, otherwise he may slip someday and end your life." Without another word, Merle turned and continued down the hall, which took her away from the two officers.

"Farewell Miss Merle." Leopold called out, grinning widely.

Cid began to laugh but quickly stopped as he buckled over in pain. 

"What's so funny?" The fair-haired captain asked.

"You are. You fancy that catgirl, don't you?" Cid grinned through the pain.

"Don't be silly. She's but a child." Leopold said in his defense.

"Now I know you are lying. You should have seen your face the moment you laid eyes on her." The stouter man gave his fellow captain a mischief's stare. 

"I was simply being polite to Lord Van's childhood companion. Nothing more." Leopold straightened his posture and looked down his nose at his ailing friend. "Now if you want assistance to the physician's quarters, I suggest you drop this subject immediately." He took his friend's arm and started guiding him down the hall where Merle had previously come from.

After a few moments of silence, Cid wondered out loud. "Do you think she scratches when she kisses?" 

"Will you be silent." Leopold insisted.

The injured soldier began to laugh again only to stop abruptly once again because of the pain.

"Serves you right." The fair-hair captain said.

Down an adjacent hallway, on her way to Hitomi's chambers, the catgirl's ears relaxed while her hair stood on end and a frown crossed her face. _'Soldiers, always too arrogant… and too loud.'_ She mused before whispering to herself, "What jerks."

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I was hoping to get this chapter out in less then a week and by some miracle I did it. ^___^ I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you find the two original characters I've added, Leopold and Cid, interesting. Well, you were actually introduced to Cid a few chapters ago and to Leopold in the previous chapter but here we get to learn a little bit more about them. Sorry, I couldn't go completely straight, serious on this one. Just couldn't get myself to do it. :P 

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews of my previous chapter and I look forward to reading what you have to say about this. Chapter as well. ^___^


	63. Chapter 63

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 63

In the garden behind the castle

---

"So do you train with your soldiers every day?" Hitomi asked, setting her napkin down and picking up her cup of new wine.

"Not every day, just once or twice a week." Van said as he turned his head to took at her.

Van had finished eating his meal some time ago and was now lying on the ground with his hands under his head, staring at the treetops. Hitomi sat on her knees upon the large blanket that was spread out for their meal. She had just finished eating as well, and was enjoying the new wine, which was more like fruit juice at this point. In a few months it would be real wine and she knew she wouldn't be downing it so readily then but now it barely even had the hint of alcoholic flavor. Merle was still devouring what Van had left of his meal as well as what was still in the picnic basket, ignoring the light conversation between her two friends. 

"I've noticed that many of the palace staff aren't from Fanelia. Is that true for your army as well?" The teen asked.

"Some aren't, but most are. Sir Beckett and about a dozen of the men that served under him in the Chezarian Army immigrated here after the war." The young king rolled onto his side so he could look directly at her and propped his head up with his hand while setting his elbow on the ground. "Several of our soldiers are from families that immigrated to Fanelia when their countries were overrun by the Zaibach Empire during my father's reign."

"Oh, I see." Hitomi looked on pensively.

Suddenly, Merle let out a yelp, which caught her two friends off guard. As they quickly turned to see what caused the catgirl to react so, she suddenly jumped to her feet and ran across the blanket deeper into the forest. 

"What is it Merle?" Van and Hitomi asked in unison, then turned and stared at each other with a smile.

"A monarchy dragonfly!" She yelled out as she ran and jumped up in to the air in a futile attempt to catch the beautiful, graceful flying insect.

From where Hitomi was sitting, it looked more like a butterfly than a dragonfly. It had large, seemingly delicate wings colored bright royal purple, deep red and black. Its body was thin but long and it seemed more to float in the air than fly. But though it seemed to float, its movements were very quick and the catgirl had little chance of catching it. Knowing this fact didn't dampen Merle's spirits or her effort at trying as she laughed and smiled while running and jumping after it.

"Do you believe that?" The teen asked unconsciously, not really expecting a response to her inquiry.

"Merle loves chasing after the monarchy dragonflies." The king replied.

"Oh." She turned to face him again.

"Mmm hmm." He nodded. "The monarchy dragonflies are amongst the rarest and most beautiful dragonflies in Gaea. Catching one safely, that is without injuring it at all, is supposed to bring a person good luck." He looked over to where Merle had run off.

"Has she ever caught one?" The teen asked.

Shaking his head with a smile, the king replied. "In over ten full seasons of trying, she's never even come close."

"That's not true Lord Van!" The catgirl called out from about fifteen meters away. "I almost caught one once!"

"I told you before Merle! That wasn't a monarchy dragonfly; that was a queens dragonfly. They almost look alike except the queens dragonfly has the dark green edge around its wings, like the one you almost caught, three years ago." He explained.

Hitomi smiled as she gazed at the man before her.

Turning his attention back to his special guest, Van studied her expression for a moment before slowly developing a somewhat nervous smile on his face when he asked, "What? Is something wrong?" He sat up. "Do I have food on my face?" He started wiping his face with the back of his hand.

Hitomi gave a soft laugh. "No Van. It's just." Her smile grew. "Sometimes you seem so… so royal, so kingly-like. But every now and then you let your guard down and it's like you're just another fifteen-year old boy."

The statement brought a frown upon the king's face.

Seeing this the teen quickly explained. "Don't get me wrong. I like it. I like that you feel comfortable enough around me to let that side of you show through. I know everyone expects you to act a certain way because you're the king: courageous, confident, intelligent, pensive. All characteristics you naturally possess; characteristics that I love about you that I admire in you, but it's nice to be able to see what is behind all of that sometimes." She leaned forward and crawled and all fours toward him, stopping when she was but a breath away. "It's like, I find new things to love about you everyday." She smiled softly.

Van slowly reached up with his hand and gently ran his fingers down her cheek, along her jaw line and to her chin. "You have the most amazing emerald eyes." He whispered. "Have I ever told you that?"

She shook her head gently.

"Well you do." He smiled.

She blinked twice and smiled warmly. Then they both slowly closed their eyes and leaned closer together, gently pressing their lips together and softly moaning their mutual pleasure at the sensation. After several moments, the young couple sensed more then heard, someone next to them. Unwillingly, they broke their kiss and turned their heads to see Merle kneeling just a short distance next to them with her hands cupped in front of her and a sweet innocent smile on her face as she looked down at the object in her hands.

"What do you have there Merle?" Hitomi asked.

Speaking very softly, the catgirl replied, "I caught a monarchy dragonfly." She looked up and smiled at her friends.

"Really?" Van moved closer to see and Hitomi followed his lead. "Oh my goodness. By the gods Merle, you actually caught one this time. And it's the really thing." The young king smiled with wonder.

"It's so beautiful." The teen spoke in awe of the small miracle of nature.

Merle nodded. "It is, isn't it?" As her smile grew while watching the small creature gently raise and lower its wings within her cupped hands.

"I can't believe it Merle. You actually did it. You actually caught one." The young king looked with amazement from the small delicate creature to his friend's shining face.

"So what does she do know? Does she make a wish or something?" Hitomi asked.

"No." Van smiled at her. "The monarchy dragonfly doesn't grant wishes, it is simply an omen of good luck if you're able to catch one unharmed." He explained.

"So what should I do now Lord Van." Merle asked, still looking with wonder at the life within her hands.

"Release it. Let it fly away so it can bestow good luck on some other worthy soul." He answered with a smile.

She looked up at him for a moment then nodded and opened up her hands to allow the small creature to fly away. For a moment it just stayed in her hands then with the gentle flap of its wings it took flight. It flew around Merle several times before coming to rest on the tip of her nose as it slowly raised and lowered its wings several times. Merle gasped in surprise but managed to remain perfectly still as she crossed her eyes in an effort to see the beautiful creature.

"Amazing." Hitomi whispered.

"Yes, it is amazing. This is a very good omen for you Merle." Van looked on with the same expression of wonder that the other two had.

Then slowly the beautiful dragonfly took flight once again and flew away, up into the trees.

"Bye-bye little friend!" Merle waved as a big happy grin crossed her face.

"Merle, I must say, I'm really surprised. How did you ever catch it?" Van asked.

"Yeah Merle, tell us." Hitomi added.

"I'm sorry you guys, but that's my secret." She continued to follow the flight of the dragonfly. "You have to find out how, on your own. I think maybe that's part of the good luck." She finally turned and smiled at them. 

"I think I understand Merle." Van smiled and placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. Then as if remembering something important that he had forgotten to mention, the young king quickly stood up.

"Well, if we're done here, there is something I'd like to show both of you." He offered each young lady a hand up. "It's in the castle, so shall we?" He gestured to the large stone building. Both smiled at him as they made their way back to the castle. As they left their picnic behind, several servants made their way out to pick up after them. 

"So what is it you want to show us?" Hitomi asked as she looked over her shoulder at the king.

Van quickened his pace and got in step with the two of them, one on each side. "I'm afraid you're just going to have to wait until we get there." He smiled.

The teen shook her head. "Everyone with their secrets." 

Van smiled. "You'll see soon enough." He said as he took her hand into his, which brought a smile to the teen's face as well.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, I hope this was soon enough for an update. ^_^ I was looking to accomplish a couple things in this chapter. One, was to show a lighter, more normal (if you will) side of Van. As was pointed out in some reviews, he is a king but he is still just 15. And while I get the impression that in Gaea, the idea of teenage years is non-existent, (you're either a child or an adult) there is still a certain youthful nature that still exists in the young king. The second thing I wanted to accomplish was to show a real change in Merle's character. Where in the past, seeing Van and Hitomi kissing would have caused her to act with jealously, here she silently waits to share with them the wonder of the beautiful creature she managed to catch. I hope both of these aspects came through in this chapter. 

By the way, can you guess what it is that Van wants to show them? It's not to hard to guess if you think about it for a moment. ^_^ I hope to have the next chapter up by mid-week so as not to keep you in suspense too long. 

Thank you for all your reviews of my last chapter. I'm so glad you liked it. I was a little concerned that a chapter that focussed on two minor characters may not go over so well. But I wanted to start laying the ground work for them now so later, much later, when they become a more important part of the overall plot, you will already have a frame of reference for them and a sense of who they are and what motivates them. 

I look forward to reading your reviews of this chapter as well. I cherish every review I receive. ^_^

Thank you all,

A. Amishi


	64. Chapter 64

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 64

In the castle in Fanelia

---

As King Van lead his two female companions down an infrequently visited hallway, Merle became keenly aware of where they were heading. Her heart started beating a bit faster as her palms became cold and clammy. "Where are we going Lord Van?" She asked nervously. _'I hope I'm wrong.'_

"Don't worry Merle." Her king reassured her with a smile. "Everything's alright."

Merle's concern brought a look of worry upon Hitomi's face as well. Van simply smiled at her and gave her hand a comforting squeeze, which brought a smile to the teenager's face.

As they reached an intersecting hallway, they encountered the head chambermaid, Sophia. "Lord Van," she curtsied. "You summoned me?"

"Yes Sophia, do you have your keys with you?" He asked.

"Y-yes my Lord, as always." She replied with a hint of trepidation.

"Good, follow me." The king instructed.

"Yes my Lord." She curtsied again and fell in step behind the king. 

After a few moments, Merle turned her head and mouthed, "_I told you so_." The chambermaid nervously averted her eyes.

When they came to the door that Merle and Sophia feared they would stop at, Van turned to the chambermaid and said. "Sophia, will you open the door?"

"Y-yes my Lord." She pulled out her keys and quickly found the one specifically for that door. Once unlocked, she stepped aside to allow her king entry.

Van slowly released Hitomi's hand and walked into the room. A flood of memories came rushing back to him. Happy times when he was very young and he would crawl into bed with his parents. Proud times when he would sit at the foot of the bed and watch is father suit up in is battle armor. Joyous times when his mother would sit in the chair near the window with him on her lap and she would tell him tales of dragons and brave knights and even braver kings. Sad times when he stood next to his brother as they watched their father slowly die from an incurable illness and their mother weep inconsolably at her husband's bedside. Times of despair when his brother disappeared after going to slay the land dragon and his mother sat by the window of her room staring out into space, unwilling or incapable of responding to anyone, even him.

Van's eyes filled with unshed tears as he slowly walked around the room, letting the memories sealed away in the recesses of his mind to come flowing back to him. "This was my parent's chamber. I was born in this room." He stared at the bed. "My father died in this room." He turned toward the window and ran his fingers over the back of the chair where his mother used to sit for hours on end, waiting for the return of her elder son. "My mother slipped into despair in this room, waiting for Folken to return from doing battle with the land dragon." His voice began to tremble.

Merle and Sophia stood by the door, nervously waiting for Van to explode in a rage over the shawl. But Hitomi slowly walked up to him. Placing a gentle hand upon his chest, she drew him out of his muse and back to the present as she looked up at him with eyes filled with sadness and comfort for him. 

"So much pain, so much loss. Van, I…" She didn't know what to say, so she did the only thing she could think of that could possibly bring him any comfort. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a loving embrace as she silently shed the tears he refused to shed. After a few moments of being held like this, feeling the gentle tremors of Hitomi's body as she cried, the young king could no longer suppress his own tears as they fell from his eyes. Hitomi tightened her hold on him and whispered softly. "It's alright Van. It's okay to cry." Hearing these words seemed to free the young king as he began to weep softly onto her shoulder. "It's okay Van, I'm here for you." She whispered.

Fear of their king's anger was replaced by an uneasy feeling of sadness and guilt. It had been years since either Merle or Sophia saw Van cry. Seeing him like this was quite unnerving for both of them. Slowly the chambermaid turned and walked out the door. Pressing her back to the wall next to the door, she pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes dry. Merle soon followed her and stood next to her against the wall as well, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. The maid offered the catgirl her handkerchief, which the catgirl accepted with a smile, wiping her eyes dry then blowing her nose with it. When she held it out for the maid to take back, the older woman said softly with a forced smile. "Keep it." 

After several minutes, Van slowly straightened up. Taking a deep breath, he allowed a faint grin to play across his face as he looked down at the young woman in his arms. "Thank you Hitomi. Thank you for being here with me." He said softly as he carefully wiped her tears away. 

She returned to him a loving smile as she duplicated his actions, wiping his tears away as well.

Taking another deep breath, Van looked around the room only to notice that the other two people in his company were no longer around. "Merle? Sophia?"

Merle poked her head in the door. "Yes Lord Van?"

"What are you doing out there?" He asked, confusion written across his face.

"Wellll…" The catgirl looked away, not wanting to admit him that she felt guilty for believing he brought them to this room to scold them for disobeying his orders.

"Never mind. Come in, come in." He insisted.

Both women entered the room cautiously.

Once inside, Van spoke. "Years ago I ordered this room locked and its contents never to be seen or used again."

Both Sophia and Merle nodded.

"Well, thanks to one or perhaps both of you, Hitomi is now in permanent possession of one of my mother's shawls." He added.

They both looked down at the ground in guilt.

"I thank you both." 

Their eyes shot up in surprise.

"I had forgot how beautiful my mother's belongings were. I thought by locking away my parent's things, I could lock away the memories of them. But no more, Sophia, this room is to be cleaned and made into a guest room."

"And your parent's possessions my Lord?"

"They shall go to Hitomi and Merle. Whatever they want that is." Van smiled.

"Van?" Hitomi looked up at him in surprise. "Are you sure you want to do that? Perhaps you shouldn't be so hasty." She cautioned.

"It's alright Hitomi." He ran his hand over her cheek. "Seeing you in my mother's shawl last night made me realize that this is the way my mother would have wanted it. For so long, my parent's things were items that could only bring back sad memories but in your hands, they'll be able to create new, better memories."

Smiling her understanding, she raised herself up onto her toes and as she brought her lips in gentle contact with his. Separating a moment later, they stood staring into each other's eyes, rejoicing in the love they shared. 

Without taking his eyes off his true love, Van said. "Sophia, I believe most of my mother's most precious belongings are in the chest. Are they not?" 

"Ah, yes my Lord." She walked over to it and kneeled down in front of it. Carefully, she opened the chest.   
  
"Come. Let's see what we will find." The young king took the emerald-eyed girl's hand and walked over in front of the chest. 

Reverently, Sophia took out one item after another. Showing them to both Hitomi and Merle. Hitomi marveled at the beauty of each item. While not nearly as extravagant as the royal apparel in Asturia, Queen Vari's wardrobe was much more colorful and brilliant than typical Fanelian clothing, which tended to be more earth tones. And while Merle found each item as beautiful as Hitomi did, she relented and let her friend have every article of clothing Sophia had pulled out so far. 

As time passed, the catgirl's attention drifted from the chest over to a small table set in the corner of the room. Staring at the table and the mid-sized mirror that sat upon it, the feline's mind began to fill with memories of when she was just a small child.

~~~~~

__

"Lady Vari, have you seen Lord Van anywhere?" The little catgirl asked the queen as she brushed her hair at the table. 

"No Merle, I haven't. I thought he was playing with you." The queen replied as she continued to run the silver-handled brush through her hair.

"Well…" She young feline came and kneeled down next to the queen. "He was, but…"

"He is hiding from you again, isn't he?" The queen stopped for a moment and turned to smile at her young ward.

Merle nodded. "I don't think Lord Van likes me very much." She hung her had sadly.

"Oh Merle," The queen set the brush down, bent over and picked the small child up, setting her on her lap. "Van cares for you very much. We all do. It's just… well, sometimes young boys have a difficult time expressing their feelings, so they pretend they don't care."

"You really think so?" The small catgirl asked hopefully.

"I'm certain of it." The queen smiled and gently ran her hand across the young girl's face. "In fact, I bet Van is feeling pretty sad right now for having left you alone."

"Really!" The feline's eyes lit up with excitement. "I should go find him." She started shifting on the queen's lap in an effort to hope off.

"Why don't we wait and let him find you for a change. This way he can't make up any excuse about wanting to be alone." Vari smiled as she picked up her brush. "Here, let me brush your hair." And she started running it over Merle's short orange locks. As the queen ran the brush through her hair over and over again, the young feline began to purr softly. After a few minutes the queen asked. "You love Van very much, don't you Merle?"

"Mmm hmm, someday I'm going to marry Lord Van." She said absentmindedly. The instant she realized what she said, she eyes shot open in shock and she slapped her hands over her mouth, as she seemed to shrink more than just a bit on the queen's lap. 

"That's all right Merle. There's nothing wrong in dreaming and hoping for what you believe will make you happy." The Draconian reassured her. "Perhaps, someday, when the two of you are old enough and if you both feel the same way for each other, maybe you will marry. Just remember, if that day doesn't come, it is not the end of the world for you. Van will always be your friend. Of this, I am sure. And sometimes, just sometimes, it's better that way." She set the brush down and kissed the young catgirl on the top of her head. "There, all done." 

Just then, she heard her door open. 

"And just in time." She smiled.

"Mother, have you seen Merle anywhere?" The young prince asked sadly, facing his mother's back.

Merle turned her head to look at the queen, who held her finger to her lips. The catgirl pressed her fingers over her mouth to stifle her laughter. 

"Why do you ask Van?" The queen asked.

"I've been looking everywhere for her, but I can't find her anywhere." The boy said sadly.

"Perhaps she thought you wanted to be left alone for a time." She added.

"Well, I did earlier. Folken went to practice with Balgus and the other samurai but father made me go away. He said the training room was no place for a child." Van pouted.

"So why didn't you seek out Merle then?" The queen smiled at the catgirl.

"Because, she would have wanted to cheer me up and … well…" He tapered off.

"And you wanted to feel sorry for yourself." The queen replied.

Looking down at his feet, the young prince whispered, "yes."

"And now you want Merle to play with you and make you feel better." His mother continued.

Again, the prince whispered, "yes."

The queen gave her young ward a wink and a smile as Merle grinned happily up at her. "Well, it just so happens I know exactly where Merle is." 

And with a small nod from the queen, Merle jumped down from her lap and ran over to her young friend. "Here I am Lord Van!" Merle smiled up at him.

Van stared at her in shock. "You-you were here the whole time?" 

"It's okay Lord Van." She took his hand. "Let's go play." And she ran out the door with the young prince in tow.

~~~~~

Merle giggle silently as she suddenly found herself standing in front of the table. Looking at it now, it was actually quite simple in design. Not nearly as elegant as the vanity table from Asturia she now had in her room. But as she ran her hand over the dusty wood, her mind returned to that warm, wonderful memory so long ago. Slowly, she pulled the single drawer open and inside she saw what she had hoped for. Only a single object sat in the drawer. Merle reached down and pulled out the brush. The silver was dark and tarnished but in Merle's eyes, it was still as beautiful an object as it was when Queen Vari brushed her hair with it so long ago. The catgirl clutched it to her chest and closed her eyes as a joyous smile crossed her face.

Van walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't you want any of my mother's items Merle?" The king asked. 

Merle turned her head to look at him. "Your mother's clothes are the clothes of a queen, Lord Van. They rightfully belong to Hitomi. But if you don't mind." She held up the brush so he could see. "I'd like to have this."

"My mother's hairbrush?" Van reached out and gently took it into his hands. "I remember watching my mother brush her hair with this brush and thinking she was the most beautiful woman in all of Gaea."

"She was Lord Van, she was." Merle smiled up at him.

Returning her smile, Van handed the brush back to her. "Here you go Merle, it is now yours."

"Thank you Lord Van. Thank you." She smiled broadly.

As time passed, and the women finished going through the chest, they moved on to the cedar closet where the bedspreads and the queen's more formal dresses were hung. After awhile, Van made his way over to the bed and sat at the edge, looking out toward the window. After about an hour, Hitomi came by and sat next to him.

"Are you all right Van?" She asked, tilting her head in his direction.

He turned his head toward her and smiled. "I'm fine. It's just…"

"What?" 

"Well, to be honest, such things" He gestured toward Merle and Sophia, "don't interest me." 

Hitomi tried to suppress a silent laugh. "You're bored."

He turned away suddenly. "Sorry, I know I shouldn't be this way."

"That's all right. You can't help it if that's the way you feel." The emerald-eyed teen gently placed her hand over his. "I was wondering. Do you really want to turn your parent's room into a guestroom? Shouldn't it still be the room for the king and queen?" She turned toward her lap, as a faint blush rose in her cheeks. 

Smiling, Van replied. "Actually, I assumed, when the time came, we'd make your room the our room." He looked about the room, "It is larger room and much nicer."

Hitomi looked about as well. "I guess you're right." Then turning back toward him, she asked. "What about your room?" 

"My room?" Van almost laughed.

"You know, I've never seen your room." Hitomi realized.

"Would you like to see it?" He asked.

"Yes, yes I would." She smiled.

"Fine." He smiled back, turning his hand over, under hers so their palms met; he stood up and helped her off the bed. Turning his attention to the other two women in the room, he said. "Merle, Sophia, we'll be back in awhile."

"Very well, Lord Van." The maid curtsied.

"Not a problem Lord Van, we've got everything under control." His childhood friend smiled.

With that, Van and Hitomi left the room hand in hand and walked down the hallway in the direction of his room.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, I hope you liked it. Apparently, where Van took them should have been a big surprise for everyone since no one guessed correctly. ^_^ I hope it made sense to you as it did to me to have Van do this. I felt after their romantic dinner the night before that he was ready to finally let go of the ties that bound him to the sad memories of the past. 

I look forward to reading what you thought about this chapter. ^_^

Thank you for your reviews and comments of my last chapter. I'm so glad to see so many new readers of my story over the past few chapters. 

I'll be gone this weekend so I really look forward to reading lots of reviews when I get back. ^____^

Thank you all, 

A. Amishi


	65. Chapter 65

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 65

In the hallway, just outside Van's chambers

---

"Should I cover my eyes or something?" Hitomi gave Van a silly little grin.

"Why?" He looked back at her in confusion.

Turning her head away she blushed slightly. "Never mind."

He opened the door and gestured for her to go in first. Slowly, cautiously, the emerald-eyed teenager walked into the room. Like Merle's room, Van's faced the forest behind the castle. It was small, much smaller than his parent's room and even smaller then her room. It was very stoic as well. There was a bad with no head-board or foot-board, there was one very plain, dark wood dresser and one plain dark wood chair without any cushion on it. No mirrors, no tapestries, no paintings or artwork of any kind. There was one simple candle on the dresser and nothing else.

"Not much to see, is there?" Van said without any expression on his face. He walked over to his bed and sat down. "It wasn't always like this."

"Why are the stones in the walls two different colors?" Hitomi asked pointing to the obvious difference in color between the stones along the base of the wall.

"Most of the castle was destroyed during the Zaibach invasion. The stones along the base were original stones to the castle. The stones above them are new ones put in during the re-construction of the castle." He explained.

Walking over to the wall she crouched low and ran her hands over the two different stones. As her hand ran over the older stone her eyes suddenly grew wide and she jerked back slightly but she continued to keep her hand on the stone the whole time. "You used to share this room with your brother, with Folken." 

Van gasped slightly as he got off the bed and faced Hitomi completely. After a few seconds he recovered and said. "Yes, that's right. I stayed in my parent's room while my mother was still nursing me but afterwards, I was moved into this room with my brother. When I turned five he was supposed to move to a different room, a bigger room but I cried and cried till he agreed to stay in this room with me. He never scolded me for acting like such a baby. He just smiled and patted me on the head." He smiled.

Standing up, Hitomi turned around to face Van. "Why aren't the walls like this in your parent's room?" She asked as she walked over to him.

"While Dilandau and his Dragon Slayers were most effective in destroying the city, parts of the castle miraculously remained untouched. Most were on in the lower levels but somehow my parent's room also remained unharmed." He stepped closer to her. "I can't explain it. It's just what happened."

Looking up into his eyes, Hitomi smiled warmly but after a few moments of silence, an uneasy feeling began to settle in upon her. _'We are all alone in Van's room. I've never been in a boy's room before. Why am I so nervous all of a sudden? Why does the idea of being here with Van make me feel so… so… uneasy?' _Turning away she tried to thing of something to say. "Hmm, why-why is your room so barren?" She asked as she looked around.

"It wasn't always this way. There were once paintings of my parents and my brother on the walls but they were destroyed in the fire. The room was really a reflection of my mother's style and taste. She furnished and decorated it when I was just a small child. I never saw the need to change it." He answered.

"And now?" She asked.

"I suppose this is a reflection of me: simple, plain." The young king looked about the room.

"You shouldn't put yourself down like that Van. You're anything but simple and plain." Hitomi protested.

"I was referring to my taste in furniture." He smiled.

"Oh," She blushed. "Aah, well, you know it could use something, perhaps some paintings again or some tapestries." She turned away from him again. "You know, maybe some little nick-nacks." She suddenly gasped as Van wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest.

"What's wrong Hitomi? Why are you so nervous?" He asked softly in her ear causing a shiver to go up her spine as her face turned a brighter shade of red.

"I don't know. I cause it's because we are alone." She replied.

"But we've been alone many times before. Why should this be any different?" He asked tenderly.

"I-I guess because we're in your bedroom. The idea of being so close to your bed makes me feel a little uncomfortable." She turned her head to the side and rested it against his chest.

This took Van by surprise. "But why?" He inquired.

Just the idea of answering his question caused Hitomi's body to feel suddenly warmer all over as her cheeks turned a deep crimson. 

Without any words spoken from the woman he loved, Van knew instantly what she was referring to. Gently turning her about so he could look into her eyes, he said. "You needn't worry Hitomi. I hold you in the highest regard and I would never do anything to compromise your virtue."

Her lips quivered as a sad smile made its way upon her face. Pressing her cheek against his chest and holding him in a tight embrace, she whispered. "I'm sorry Van. I'm sorry for even thinking you'd want to take advantage of me in that way. I'm sorry."

"It's alright Hitomi. I'm a man, you're a woman; it is only natural you might think my intentions were something less then noble." He gently stroked her hair. "I'm sorry I didn't explain my intentions clearly to you before. I could have spared you this worry."

She smiled to herself as she caressed her cheek against his chest. "You're so wonderful Van. I can't believe how lucky I am. Of all the women in your world and mine, that I should be the one to have your love is almost too much to believe sometimes."

"I'm the lucky one Hitomi. You have no idea how amazing your really are. I consider myself fortunate to be worthy of your love." He kissed the top of her head then lightly pressed his cheek against her.

After several minutes in each other's arms, Hitomi said softly. "You know, this room really could use…"

Lifting his head, Van looked down with questioning eyes. "Could use?"

"Something, anything." The emerald-eyed girl gave him a playful smile.

"Are you saying I have bad taste, Lady Hitomi?" He gave her a mock-stern look.

"No your Majesty, I am saying you have no taste, good or bad." She laughed lightly, bringing one hand over her mouth.

The king's eyes grew wide in mild shock. "Are you laughing at me?" He lowered his hands from around Hitomi and placed his fists on waist.

"No you Majesty, I would never do that." The teen from the Mystic Moon said, as she cupped both hands over her mouth in a desperate attempt to stop her laughter.

"You are laughing at me." The king crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you know what the punishment is for laughing at the King?"

In between her laughter and through her hands she muttered. "No you Majesty," as she looked at him with playful eyes.

Van looked off in the distance as he considered his response then said, "Neither do I. Actually, I don't think there is a punishment for such a thing."

This caused the teen to start laughing even harder as she crossed her legs at the knees.

"Still, there should be." He turned his gaze back at the young woman in front of him. "And I know just the punishment." He stepped forward till his nose was almost touching hers. This caused the teen to straighten up instantly, lowering her hands to her side. She stared back at him wide-eyed as she struggled to maintain a blank expression on her face. With her like this, the king brought his lips within a breath of hers then said. "I will not kiss you for the rest of the day, perhaps the rest of the week." Then he backed off and turned toward the door.

The teen's jaw dropped. "WHAT!" She said in utter shock. It took her a second to recover but when she did, she quickly ran in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders to stop his forward progress. "You don't mean that, do you?"

"Hitomi, you should know me better than that. When do I say something I don't mean? When I said, I will not kiss YOU the rest of the day. I meant it." A playful glean flashed in his eyes for just a moment, but long enough for her to see.

"Well then, if his Majesty will not kiss me then I have no other choice other than to take matters into my own hands." She stepped closer to him letting her hands slide from his shoulders, up the back of his neck and into his hair where she gently guided is head down to meet hers. Tilting her head slightly to the side, she closed her eyes and pressed her warm, moist lips onto his. Van did not resist but welcomed the kiss willingly, wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her in even closer to him.

After several moments, after they broke their kiss, Hitomi asked. "I thought you weren't going to kiss me today?" 

"I didn't," He softly replied with a smile. "You kissed me." Then he leaned forward again and kissed her deeply, passionately.

"What about that time? You kissed me that time." She whispered as their lips separated.

"I decided the punishment was too harsh." He went on to kiss the sides and tip of her nose as well as all around her mouth without touching her lips. When she moaned her approval he brought his lips to hers and they kissed once again.

When they separated this time, it was Hitomi's turn to leave a trail of kisses, down to Van's chin, along his jaw line and down the side of his neck finally stopped at his collarbone where she rested her cheek against his chest once again. "I love you Van Fanel, King of Fanelia. Did you know that?" She whispered.

"Mmm, seems I vaguely recall you saying that once or twice before." He smiled. "I love you Hitomi Kanzaki, mysterious woman from the Mystic Moon."

"Mmm, mysterious woman. I like how that sounds." She giggled softly.

"Come let's return to my parent's chambers. You can help me pick out some items I can use to… brighten up my room." He whispered in her ear.

Nodding her agreement, Hitomi slowly lifted her head and gave him one last soft kiss before stepping away from him. As they walked out the door of is chambers, Van reached out and took her hand into his. Smiling at each other they walked casually down the hall to his parent's chambers.


	66. Chapter 66

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 66

In Hitomi's chambers

---

"Where would you like these placed Ma'Lady?" The young chambermaid asked, holding a small stack of shawls neatly folded in her arms.

Hitomi turned from the chifforobe where she was hanging the last of what had been Queen Vari's dresses. "Oh, place those in the third drawer on the right." She instructed, pointing at the dresser.

It had taken several hours to have all the articles cleaned and pressed before they were ready to be put away. As excited as Hitomi had become while going through the beautiful garments, she realized that it would take some time for her to properly grow into most of them. While Queen Vari was not a large woman, she was most definitely a mature woman, unlike Hitomi, whose body was still growing and maturing. 

The teen from the Mystic Moon looked around the room and smiled. The addition of two tapestries that were now hanging on either side of the large bay window, the cedar chest at the foot of the bed, the chair by the window and the royal blue changing curtain with gold and white trim which she had hung in place of the pink and crimson curtain that was previously in the room, added with all the new Asturian furniture, gave her room a personality of its own, a personality more akin to its young occupant. 

"Is there anything more you need of me Ma'Lady?" The maid asked.

"No, thank you Tamarii. You were a big help, really." She smiled as the maid curtsied and left the teen to herself.

Slowly, Hitomi walked around the room, running her fingers over each item, ending at the chair next to the window. Running her fingers over the back of the chair, she smiled and walked around to the front of it. Sitting down on it, her smile grew. It wasn't a terribly comfortable chair but it wasn't uncomfortable either. She sat back into it and closed her eyes as she drew in a deep breath. Almost instantly, a vision appeared to her mind's eye. Images of Van as a young boy, sitting on his mother's lap, smiling as she pointed out the different stars visible out her window. Images of him as a newborn baby in his mother's arms as she gently nursed him while sitting in this chair. All these memories and more came to Hitomi, causing her to sigh softly as a gentle smile appeared on her face. Unconsciously, she folded her arms under her breasts. These were followed by images of another young boy, a little taller than Van with light colored hair, also smiling while sitting on his mother's lap.

"Folken." Hitomi whispered. _'She loved you so, so very much. You reminded her so much of your father, the man she was born to love.' _

She sighed quietly as the image in her mind slowly changed to one of Vari sitting alone in the chair, staring out the window as tears rolled down her cheeks. 

"So much loss, first her husband and then her son. Oh Vari, it was more than your tender heart could endure." 

Tears began to well up in the young teen's eyes as she not only saw, but felt the deep, dark sorrow suffered by the queen. The sadness soon became too much for Hitomi and she doubled over, covering her face with her hands as she wept uncontrollably. Time lost all meaning as she was swallowed up by the pain and sorrow in her heart. It was as if Queen Vari's sadness had continued to grow and intensify over the years and now with her unique abilities, Hitomi was receiving it all, unchecked. 

"So much loss, so much pain, first Gaou, then Folken. I can't take it. I can't take it anymore." She cried out as she wailed in emotional agony. _'Someone save me, someone save me from this pain from this sadness…please… please…please…'_

Suddenly she felt a pair of hands take hold of her arms just below the shoulder and pull her out of the chair, and into a strong embrace. With her face pressed against her rescuer's chest, she softly whispered over and over. "Please…please…please…please…"

After several minutes, the words of her rescuer slowly broke through the fog that had trapped her mind in a blanket of sorrow and loss. "It's all right Hitomi. I'm here for you. I'll protect you. It's all right now."

Gradually, Hitomi's senses returned to normal. With her cheek and hands pressed against her rescuer's chest, she could make out the familiar red shirt, and the familiar scent of the meadows that was his scent. "Van…" Slowly, she looked up into his sympathetic eyes. "Van." Her lips quivered as tears began streaming down her cheeks. "Van!" She cried out as she wrapped her arms around his back and pressed her cheek into his chest once again. The young king held his true love close, gently stroking the back of her head and as he whispered, "I'm here for you Hitomi. Everything's going to be all right. I'm right here."

"Here, drink this." Van handed her a cup as he sat next to her on her bed. 

She took a drink of the tea and grimaced. "That tastes awful." She replied as she lowered it to her lap.

"It will help calm your nerves." Van explained as he gently raised the cup in Hitomi's hands back up to her lips so she could take another drink. 

Grudgingly, she obliged, taking a long drink that left her with less than half a cup. Setting the cup back down on her lap, she stole a glance at Van who was still looking at her with a great deal of concern. "I feel so foolish. I'm sorry I've worried you so." She looked down at her lap.

"There's nothing to apologize for." He gently ran his hand down Hitomi's back. "But I think it may be a good idea to get rid of the chair." He suggested.

"NO!" She looked up at him with a start. "I mean," She turned away suddenly, still embarrassed over what happened earlier. "That chair is full of memories, sad ones yes, but wonderful memories as well. I just wasn't ready to handle so many sad emotions, is all; I won't make that mistake again." She assured him.

"I just don't want to see you suffer, see you get hurt." The king said, his hand still on her back offering comfort and warmth.

Turning back to face him once again, the girl from the Mystic Moon smiled and said, "Thank you Van. Thank you for saving me, and thank you for your concern."

"No thanks are necessary." He smiled as he stared into her eyes.

As if drawn to him like a magnet, the emerald-eyed girl stared back into his eyes and slowly leaned closer toward him. He mirrored her actions until their lips were just a breath away from each other. Slowly, they closed their eyes as their lips started to make contact.

Suddenly, from the doorway, a loud familiar voice called out. "Lord Van! The carriage is ready!" Seeing her king and her friend engaged in a kiss, just moments before they turned to stare at her, Merle's eyes went wide. "Oops!" She slapped her hands over her mouth. Moving them slightly, she added. "Sorry." Then she turned and headed back down the hallway, red-faced with embarrassment. 

A small grin played across both their faces as Van and Hitomi stared at the now vacant doorway. Turning back toward Van, she asked. "Carriage?"

"To take us to the harbor to see the fleet off." He answered.

"Oh, right, your ministers and captains leave on their mission today." She replied. "Well, we better go then."

But before she could rise from the bed, Van, whose one hand was still on her back, raised his other hand and gently touched her cheek, causing her to turn toward him once again. Without any further hesitation or words, Van leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips onto hers. Releasing an almost silent moan, Hitomi leaned toward him as well in anticipation of a deeper kiss, which followed only a second later. Moaning a bit louder this time, the teenage girl partially opened her mouth and lightly brushed her tongue over his lips. The young king duplicated her actions as he drew closer to her and with the hand behind her back pulled her closer to him. And in the midst of their kiss, Hitomi whispered, "tea."

It took a moment for it to register with Van what she said and meant but he eventually ended the kiss, backed away slightly, and looked down to her lap, he saw she was still holding the cup of tea in her hands. "Do you need to change?" He asked curiously.

"No, fortunately it didn't spill." She smiled.

Taking the cup from her and taking her hand into his, Van stood up and helped Hitomi off the bed as well. "I guess we really should be going." He smiled at her.

"I guess you're right." She smiled back as they stood next to the bed for several seconds staring into each other's eyes.

Finally, Hitomi broke the silence, "Shall we go?" 

"Right." Van replied as he turned and headed for the door, still holding her hand. Walking down the hall, the young king slowed when he spotted one of the maids. "Here," was all he said as he held out the cup for her. 

"Yes my Lord." She took the cup and curtsied.

Hitomi stared at him for a moment as they continued to walk. Noticing this he inquired, "Is something wrong?"

"You didn't even say thank you." She observed.

He stared at her for a moment, unsure of what she was referring to then he quickly glanced back at where the maid had been. "You mean that?"

"Yes, that." She replied.

"She's a servant. That's her job." He responded.

"Job or not, it doesn't hurt to show a little gratitude even for something as trivial as taking a cup." She reasoned.

Taken aback by the teen's lecture, Van allowed a small grin to appear on his face as he acknowledged, "You're right. It doesn't hurt to show a little gratitude. I'll try to remember that in the future."

She smiled up at him and held his hand a little tighter.

Standing at the head of the pier, Van, Hitomi and Merle watched all but one of the merchant ships set sail to distant parts of the continent. The sight of the five ships, though modest in size, was still something to behold as they sailed to the outlet that would take them to the sea.

The silence was broken when Merle asked. "Why is the Freya still docked?" 

"Sir Charson is traveling by land to the Asturian outpost of O Baluarte, there he will charter an airship and proceed to Freid." Van explained.

"Can't he sail to Freid?" Hitomi asked.

"Yes, but Freid is at the far end of the continent. Most of the others would be back before he even arrived there. This way he saves time and doesn't tie up a ship for months." 

Nodding their understanding, all three went back to watching the ships sail away.

As the ships sailed from sight, the small party made their way back to the carriage. 

"Can I sit on top Lord Van?" The catgirl asked enthusiastically.

"Sure Merle." He replied with a smile.

"Thank you Lord Van." And with that she mounded up the side of the carriage and sat catlike on top, just behind and to the right of the driver. The vassal, who rode next to the driver opened the carriage door and bowed humbly. After assisting Hitomi into the coach, Van stepped up and into it as well then turned as the vassal closed the door behind him and said, "Thank you Hector."

The servant stared at his king for a moment, shocked at what he just heard.

"Is there something wrong Hector?" Van looked back at him.

"N-no your Majesty." He bowed low and stayed down, too embarrassed to look back up. "Nothing at all your Majesty." He quickly straightened and rushed to take his position next to the driver. 

As the carriage started heading back to the castle Van gave Hitomi a look. She stared back wide-eyed with a big silly grin on her face. "I guess it will take them awhile to get used to it."

Van returned a simple smile and sat back next to her taking her hand into his and interweaving his fingers with hers. Leaning over a bit he kissed her forehead then sat back again. Hitomi slid a little closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation of being this close to the man she loved.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I was in such a rush to post my last chapter that I forgot to include author's notes. :P I'm sure they weren't missed but I've grown so accustom to writing them that I figured I might as well continue. ^_^ I'm glad you liked my last chapter. I was hoping to make this chapter darker but I got myself to a point where I couldn't help but lighten things up again. There will be a few chapters in the near future focusing on the emissaries from Fanelia and their efforts to secure the technology to help Van realize his dream for his kingdom. But don't worry, I won't go without a regular dose of V/H in each chapter. 

Thank you for wonderful comments on my last chapter. I'm so very glad you liked it. I hope you like this one as well.

You're words of encouragement is what keeps me updating this story more frequently then any of my other stories. Thank you all so very much. ^_^

A. Amishi


	67. Chapter 67

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 67

Along the path toward the harbor

---

It had been two weeks since Hitomi returned to Gaea and while Merle had become her regular running partner, Van only ran with her the one time. As she made her way down the path several meters ahead of her young friend, she contemplated her time there and Van's peculiar absence during much of that time.

__

'I should have taken it easy on him. I probably humiliated him in front of his own men. He's probably too embarrassed to be seen with me anymore. I bet people have been talking behind his back**. "How could the king let a girl beat him? That girl from the Mystic Moon really showed him up."** Why do I have to be so competitive when it comes to running?' She sighed. _'Van, I miss you. I only see you a couple hours each day now, sometimes not even that much. I thought everything was fine between us that night we walked through the streets of the city, two weeks ago.'_

~~~

"So Sir Baschan is going to Asturia?" She asked as they walked hand in hand down the city streets.

"Mmm." Van nodded. "He's been wanting to go there for sometime, and with Sir Charson going to Freid, this was the perfect opportunity for him." 

"I suppose he has to deliver the bad news about the Fanelus trees to Millerna." She said sadly.

"Unfortunately, but the region beyond the Beira Mountains that border Fanelia and Asturia is almost entirely treeless. It may be that the ore deposit is present there as well. If so, they will be able to plant the trees there. It's about as far from Palas as you can get but at least it is still within Asturia's borders." The young king explained.

"Good evening Lord Van. Enjoying a pleasant evening stroll I see." A merchant called out as he was closing his shop. "Evening Ma'Lady."

"Evening." They said in unison then turned to stare at each other. They smiled and continued walking.

"Why hello Lord Van. It's been sometime since you've stopped by my stand. I have some fresh sour root, I'll be sure to save you some." The grocer's wife said as she swept the front of her stand. "Hello Lady Hitomi."

"I'll be sure to stop by soon." The king assured the middle-aged woman.

As they turned down another street, "Lord Van! Lord Van!" Two small children ran up to him. "Did you bring us any candy today?" They asked. 

The king reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of sweets, crouching down he handed each an equal amount and patted them on the head.

Hitomi smiled as she watched how Van's face lit up as he talked with the two children when suddenly one of them turned to her and asked. "Are you the lady who beat Lord Van running today?"

Hitomi gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth.

"Children, what have I told you about bothering Lord Van." Their mother called out from down the street as she walked toward them.

The king assured her it was fine and accepted her warm embrace with a smile. 

As they continued to talk, Hitomi stared at him with a concerned look on her face. _'He looks a little upset. Is what the boy said bothering him? Maybe I should try to reassure him some how? But how?'_ Finally, she spoke, "You know Van, I've been running track ever since I was twelve years old, over three years now, almost four. You shouldn't let what that boy said back there bother you. I've beaten lots of boys my age and older even." She gave a weak laugh.

The young king looked over at her and gave her a faint smile then turned his attention back toward the path they were walking. After walking several blocks in silence, the king asked. "Have you been getting enough of a workout? Will it help you when you return home?" 

Turning toward him, she looked up at him with a faint sense of guilt on her face. "Actually, it's not as helpful as I thought it might be." She replied.

"No." A look of confusion crossed his face. "Why not?"

"Well, for one, the grass is a little too tall. It's hard to get good traction. I'm actually quite lucky I haven't slipped and pulled a muscle yet. Besides that, the ground isn't perfectly level; it kind of rises in the middle, which makes it hard to get in a good rhythm. And I don't have a stopwatch to time myself accurately with. Of all the things I remembered to bring, I forgot to borrow Yukari's stopwatch." She looked down, not wanting to see his disappointment when she said what she had to say next. "I may have to leave sooner than I planned; otherwise I won't be able to compete against the other girls during summer practice."

~~~

__

'First I embarrass him, then I complain to him.' She sighed as she ran. _'No wonder Van's avoiding me.'_

As she broke into the clearing and looked in the direction of the open field she spotted a large number of men working on the field. "What the…" she whispered to herself.

As she got closer she saw a very familiar face. Van spotted her a moment later and waved as he started walking toward her.

Slowing down to a walk she headed toward him as well. "Van, what is all this?" She inquired.

"I had hoped to have this done before you arrived." He said with a smile.

"But what is this?" She asked again.

"It's a track field. I had it built just for you." He said proudly, gesturing for her to accompany him over to it. "They finished leveling the ground underneath it just a little while ago and they should be done securing it any moment now." He said with a smile.

As they drew near, she looked at the thing that was being secured to the ground about every three meters apart. It was twelve meters wide and over a hundred and sixty meters long. The top was a loosely fitting canvas that the men moved easily to position the long spikes that they drove deep into the ground.

"Van, thank you but …" She hesitated for a moment not sure how to tell him.

"But what?" He gave her a confused look.

"The canvas top is way to loose. I'd be better off running on the grass." She answered.

He simply smiled at her for a moment before calmly saying, "The canvas is just a cover to protect the top of the track."

"Oh, sorry." She turned away slightly, turning a pale shade of red.

From the far end of the field, the foreman called out. "The track is secured my Lord!"

"Draw back the covering!" The king commanded.

With that, two men took hold of the crank, one on either side of the track; several other men began pulling the canvas tight along the length of the track and at the far end of it. Slowly, they turned the cranks and rolled up the covering. After several minutes, the canvas was completely wound up. Four other men came and assisted the two that had wound it up and removed the pins that secured it to the track then they lifted it and moved it off to the side.

"Whew!" Merle yelled as she walked up next to Hitomi. "What is it?"

"It's our new track." Hitomi smiled. She walked up to it and crouched down next to it, running her hand over the surface. 

Van came and crouched down next to her. "It's made out of corcha wood which is very similar to cork but somewhat more ridged and durable." Running his hand over the surface like she was doing, he added. "It's covered with saffur cloth." He held out his hand and taking her hand, turning her so she could sit on it. "Here, let me help you." 

As she sat down, he gently took her foot and unlaced her shoe then he slipped it off and carefully put her track shoe on and laced it up. Hitomi watched wide-eyed as the King of Fanelia changed her shoes for her. 

"How is that? Tight enough?" He asked.

"A-yeah, they're fine." She said with the look of shock written across her face.

Then he stood up and helped her up as well. Out of the corner of her eye, the shorthaired girl noticed her feline friend staring at them with her mouth hanging open. Casually, Hitomi placed her hand under the friend's chin and gently pushed up causing her mouth to snap shut.

Shaken out of her stupor, Merle snarled at her friend but only for a moment.

"Go on, walk on it." Van said with a smile.

Gingerly, the girl from the Mystic Moon stepped onto the lanes. Walking back and forth a few feet, she let herself get accustom to the feel of wood and the cloth under her feet. "It feels wonderful." She said happily as she broke into a slow jog then into a faster run. Running back toward the man she loved, she threw herself into his arms and giggled. "Thank you! Thank you so much Van. This is the most wonderful gift anyone's ever given me." She said as she pressed her cheek against his. 

Laughing softly, the young king replied. "I'm glad you like it. But there's more."

Pulling away from him, she stared up at him wide-eyed and asked. "More? What else can there be?" 

Then she heard pounding coming from each end of the track. She looked down one end first then the other. "What are they doing?"

"They're installing starting blocks. Just as you described them to me." Van replied, taking her hand and walking her over to one end to see two of the craftsman measuring and carefully positioning the center channel then driving long nails into it to secure it to the track. Then they took out the foot blocks that would slide into place on either side of the channel. 

One of the men looked up and said, "If Ma'Lady will position herself over the channel, we can set the blocks in the proper position for you."

Hitomi gave Van a look of hesitation to which he smiled and said. "Go on." Pulling her forward by the hand he was still holding.

Stepping forward she stood over the channel and crouched down in her starting position. Seeing where she positioned her feet the man asked her to move for a moment then they positioned the blocks and she tried it once again. "Ready, Set…" And she pushed off out of the blocks and ran about 10 meters before stopping. Turning around and walking back over by Van, she said, "They're perfect."

"Thank you Ma'Lady." The man bowed his head. "Miss Merle, would you like to set the other?"

"Sure!" The catgirl replied enthusiastically as she sprang over to the next channel that was already secured.

As Merle duplicated what Hitomi had done, Van and Hitomi walked over to the other end of the track. 

"Why are they putting blocks on the other end as well?" The teen asked.

"You can see that there are a total of eight lanes. Four in each direction so you don't have to walk all the way down the length to the field to run another sprint. The marked portion is precisely fifty cubits with an additional fifteen cubits extending on each end so you have time to slow down without having a sudden change in terrain." The king answered.

Reaching the other side, she helped set the blocks as before, in both instances on the third lane. Then Van took her hand again and walked her over to his last surprise.

"What is this?" The woman he loved asked as they came to a stop in front of very sturdy table that had an item on top of it that was covered by a sheet.

Van pulled the sheet off and turned to see Hitomi's reaction.

She stared at it for a few seconds before saying. "It's a clock?"

"Not a clock, a stopwatch." He replied.

"Why does it have three separate facings?" She asked.

Pointing to each facing in succession, he answered. "This one keeps the seconds, this one the tenths of a second and this one the hundredths of a second. See." He pressed one of the three buttons on top of the devise and a loud bang went off causing Hitomi to jump just a little. After a few seconds, Van hit the second button, which stopped all three clocks.

"There, five point seven four seconds have just past." He smiled.

Hesitantly, Hitomi smiled as well. "It's great Van, but…"

"But what? What's wrong? Don't you like it?" He asked with a look of confusion on his face.

"Well, keeping time isn't just a matter of spinning the hands of a clock really fast. How do you know if it is really accurate?"

Van's smile grew. "Hitomi, I know in many ways our technology here on Gaea lags far behind what you must be used to on the Mystic Moon but believe me, the ability to measure time has been one that has existed on Gaea for many years. I would stake my life on the accuracy of this time piece." He said proudly.

"Ookay. If you say so Van." She gave him a weak smile. 

Van smiled as he shook his head and pressed the third button that reset the timer. "Come, let's give it a try." He took her hand once again wand walked over to the end where Merle was setting her blocks with the craftsmen. 

As they walked a thought occurred to Hitomi. "Van, is this what you've been doing the past two weeks?"

He turned his head and smiled.

"You did all this for me?" She smiled as her eyes began to water.

Stopping he turned to face her fully. "I did this and I would do so much more. I love you Hitomi. Nothing is too great a task for you." He said, opening his very soul to her. 

"Oh Van." She hugged him tightly as she pressed her cheek against his chest. "No woman anywhere deserves the love you've given me." She whispered.

They held each other tightly, strengthened by the love they shared, basking in the glow of each other's eternal soul. After several minutes, they were drawn back by a loud and impatient voice. 

"Hitomi! Are we going to run or what?" Merle called you waiting with her arms folded over at the starting blocks.

Slowly the lovers separated. Van leaned forward and gave his true love a gentle kiss on the lips then he released her completely. "Go and stretch out. I'll man the stopwatch." He said.

She nodded with a smile then turned to meet her feline friend. After taking about fifteen minutes to stretch out, they both stood just behind the starting blocks. All the workers who helped create the track and assemble it on the field stopped what they were doing to look at their creation put to use. 

Standing over behind the timer, Van called out. "READY!" And the two girls stepped into the starting blocks. "SET!" And they positioned themselves properly in the blocks, lifting their back ends and tensing up their muscles like a spring. Then the king hit the start button on the timer, causing the loud bang to sound again and starting the timer.

Instantly, Hitomi flow out of the starting block and raced down the length of the track with Merle close behind but steadily losing ground. Van watched with amazement, still unable to get over how very fast Hitomi was capable of running.

As the older teen stepped across the finish line, her foot triggered a pressure plate sensor that caused the timer to stop immediately. Van walked around to the front to the table and to see what her time was. "Amazing." He said to himself.

After taking a couple of minutes to catch her breath, Hitomi turned and called out to the young king. "What was my time?" 

He answered. "Thirteen point two three seconds." 

"Hmm, I guess it is accurate." She said to herself with a smile. Turning she said to her young friend. "Ready to go again?"

Merle nodded. "Anytime you're ready."

"Okay then." And they walked over to the other set of starting blocks and did it over again. 

During the course of the morning, Hitomi ran over 20 sprints. Her best time came in the fourteenth sprint when she ran the hundred meters in thirteen point zero three seconds. After that one, her times slowly started going down but she was very happy with the day's results. As she rode back to the castle with Van on his horse, she held him tighter than she needed to as she pressed up against his back and smiled.

"So it took you two weeks to build the track?" She finally asked.

"Not exactly. It took about a week and a half to come up with a design that would work. We tried different kinds of wood, different types of cloth but in the end I think we came up with the right combination." He explained.

"Well, I love it. It's about as close as you can get to a real track on earth. Thank you Van. You don't know how much this means to me." She kissed him on the back. "I feel like the luckiest girl in all of Gaea." She smiled and pressed up against him a little tighter.

Van smiled with pride, knowing he succeeded in making the woman he loved, very happy.

~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry this chapter took so very long. But this was the first chapter I had to completely re-write. I had almost finished it about three days ago when I read it over and realized it wasn't what I wanted. I've had to do the same thing with other stories but never with this one. But I like what I came up with, and I hope you do too.

I must day, I was totally overwhelmed by the number and quality of the reviews I've received for chapter 66. It is the most reviewed chapter so far. I'm glad you all enjoyed it so. ^_^ I'm also thrilled to see the number of new readers that have started following my story. It's nice to know more and more people are taking the time to enjoy the journey along with the rest of us. The other think that has me overwhelmed is the number of ff.net members who have added me to their favorite authors list. Way back when I first started this story, I was one only two peoples FA list, one for my Daria story and one for my OLS story. Now it's up to 29, some for my other stories but mostly for this one. I am so very honored to be considered among the favorite authors of so many people. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart, really I do. I'd especially like to thank Datexan and Fushizen na for your help in pre-reading my chapters and I'd like to thank Specialpal14 for your friendship and words of encouragement and support. I love you guys so very much. You're the best.

Hitomi's second trip to Gaea should be ending fairly soon, in a couple more chapters. Afterward, we'll see the results of Hitomi's training during the summer practices and we'll spend some time with Van's ministers and captains on their journeys to find a solution to Fanelia's water problem.

Again, I thank you all.

I love you all.

A. Amishi


	68. Chapter 68

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 68

A week later at the Track Field, on Fanelia

---

"READY! … SET! …" 

BANG!!!

Van watched from behind the timer's table as Hitomi raced down the track, her face etched in deep concentration as she sped past him in methodical, fluid fashion. A broad smile crossed the young king's face as he watched her speed to the finish line. 

"She's going to do it this time, I know it." He said to himself.

The timer stopped the moment her foot hit the finish line. The king looked down at the timer, not having to go around to the front of it anymore after he had the time craftsmen insert the same timers setting on the back of the device. He laughed to himself as he rose to his feet and started running over to where Hitomi was walking slowly with her hands on her hips and her head thrown back still trying to catch her breath. Slowly she made a wide circle till she was facing Van's direction. Her eyes went wide with shock, seeing him running at her. Her hands shot up in front of her chest, palms facing out, in startled surprise at the king's unusual behavior.

Scooping her up in his arms, Van spun her round and around. "You did it Hitomi! You did it! You broke thirteen seconds!" He said excitedly.

The teen from the Mystic Moon's expression changed from one of shock to one of elation. "REALLY?" She yelled, smiling ear to ear. "Eee!" She screeched as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely. 

After a moment she released him and said. "Let me see. Let me see." 

Setting her down, he took her hand and casually ran over toward the timer's table. Standing just a couple meters in front if it, the teen's eyes lit up with joy as she saw the time she just finished running the 100 meters in. 

"12.94 seconds, I can't believe it. But that's what is says so it must be true." She laughed as she wrapped her arms around him once again. 

"Let me see." Merle said as she ran in front of them to look at the timer. "Whew, that's incredible Hitomi!" She turned, expressing her excitement and joy for her friend's accomplishment. 

"Thanks Merle." The teen smiled then turned back to the man in her arms. "And thank you Van, for everything." She leaned in and closed her eyes as she pressed her lips against his.

Van tightened his hold on her as they shared their love for each other in that kiss. Merle smiled as she casually walked back to the starting blocks and did some light stretching in anticipation of another sprint.

Hitomi went on to run six more sprints under thirteen seconds, her best time being 12.91, then she and Merle ran four more and in each, Hitomi's time steadily increased. After running a time of 13.66, she decided she had had enough for one day. 

Sitting on the side of the track, the girl from the Mystic Moon changed from her track shoes to her gym shoes, stopping occasionally to wipe the sweat from her brow. The Fanelian king sat down next to her and smiled.

"You did really great today Hitomi. You should be very proud of yourself." He said as he ran his hand over her back.

"Thank you Van. But I couldn't have done it if you hadn't built me this track. And I would never have known that I broke 13 seconds if you hadn't made me the timer as well." She smiled at him then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you Van, thank you for everything." Then she sighed. "Gosh I just wish I had a nice cool pool I could just swim around and cool off in." She said while pulling on the collar of her T-shirt in order to fan herself.

"A pool?" He gave her a questioning stare.

"Oh, ah, it's… it's like a manmade pond used for swimming or playing in." She explained.

Van turned his gaze from her to the lake and gestured, "If you'd like to go for a swim, we do have a lake right here."

Looking over at the harbor, the memories of seeing the sailors of the six Fanelian merchant ships mop the decks of the ships and pour the dirty water overboard as well as tossing other food waste over the side of the ship right there in the harbor, brought a somewhat sickening smirk on her face. "Ah, thanks, but no thanks. Have you seen what those sailors toss over the side of the ship? Blah." She stuck her tongue out to dramatize her point.

Van laughed as he stood up and offered her his hand. "I didn't mean right here." He explained.

"Oh." Hitomi's cheeks turned a mild shade of pink.

"Come, I'll show you." He said as he walked over to retrieve his stallion. 

Van mounted his horse then brought it next to Hitomi. Taking her hand and removing his foot from the stirrup, she placed her foot in it and allowed him to pull her up and onto the pommel. 

Sighing happily she thought to herself, _'It's a good thing the pommel on these Fanelian saddles is just a flat piece of leather.'_ Turning toward her lover, she smiled and wrapped her arm around his back as she leaned into his chest, resting her head on his collarbone. 

"Come on Merle." The young king called to his childhood friend and she came bounding toward them. 

Taking care not to extend her claws, she jumped up onto the horse's hindquarters and took hold of the cantle. 

"Are you okay back there, Merle?" He asked, stealing a glance behind him.

"I'm fine Lord Van." She replied with a smile.

"Good." And with that he rode off along the path that followed around the lake.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I was going to make this longer but this seems like a good place to stop. First off let me start by saying I'm very sorry for not updating last week, but I broke my left foot on the 3rd and have been hobbling around on crutches ever since. Since my doctor wanted to wait till the swelling went down before putting me in a cast, I've had to keep my foot elevated and to be honest it is very difficult to do around my computer. It's times like this I wish I had a laptop. But I finally get my cast tonight so I should be able to start getting more writing done. How did I break it you ask? Please don't ask. Each time someone asks and I answer it just makes me feel that much more stupid. :P Just remember, it never pays to rush. Just take your time. There will always be another train, bus, plane, cab, etc.. 

Again, I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed my last chapter. I'd especially like to thank Fushizen na for her critical comments and observations. Thank you for keeping me honest Fushi. ^_^

The next chapter should come pretty quick. I hope you'll like it. 

A. Amishi


	69. Chapter 69

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 69

Along the shore of the lake

---

As they rode past the last line of trees, they came to a clearing where several large rocks stretched out into the lake. A white sandy beach that went for about one hundred cubits followed. Which was followed by a formation of smaller rocks from where a gentle stream fed the lake.

Once on the sandy portion, Merle yelped with joy and jumped off the horse. Running toward the water, she kicked off her sandals, threw off her dress and dove into the crystal clear water. 

Hitomi gasped in mild shock that the little catgirl would so easily strip right in front of Van like that. For his part, the Fanelian King just laughed and dismounted his horse; reaching up with both hands, he took the shorthaired teen by the waist and helped her down onto the soft white sand. 

"There you go Hitomi. A natural pool, just for you." The young king smiled as he gestured to the sparkling waters.

"Ah, that's great Van…" She hesitated a moment.

"But what?" He gave her a look of mild confusion.

"Well, it's just… I don't have a swimsuit." She replied with a small hint of embarrassment.

"Swimsuit?" His look of confusion grew for only a moment before he broke into a wide smile and began walking backward toward the water. "Sure you do Hitomi. We all do." Then he turned and jogged toward the shore, pulling off his shirt and boots in the process. 

"He wouldn't." The teen from the Mystic Moon said to herself. Suddenly she gasped in shock as she dropped her tracks shoes and slapped her hands over her mouth, her face turned beet red as the young king pulled off his pants along with anything else he may have had under them and dove into the water like Merle did.

Swimming a distance under the water, he finally surfaced several cubits away and shook the water from his hair. Then he waved in her direction and called out. "Come on Hitomi! Live a little!" With that he dove back into the water and swam further out into the lake. 

The teen just stood motionless. Too stunned to react in any way. It wasn't till the king's horse gave her a gentle nudge, did she snap out of her shocked trance. 

"Not you too?" She turned and asked. The black beauty simply shook his mane and nudged her once again. 

"Well, I guess… when in Rome, do as the Romans do." She said to herself as she pulled off her gym shoes and socks. Then she stood up straight and took a deep breath.

"Come on Hitomi!" Merle waved to her. "The water's great!"

"Oh hell." The teen pulled her T-shirt off and her shorts and started running toward the water's edge, and just before her feet hit the water her bra and panties flew into the air. A moment later, she splashed into the water and swam in the direction of her younger friend.

Merle laughed as the older teen came to a stop next to her. "Isn't this great? The water is always really clean here because of the springs the feed the lake." She pointed and the emerald-eyed girl could see there was not just one stream but there were several in a long chain that fed the large body of fresh water. 

Looking about for a moment she turned back toward her friend and asked. "Where's Van?"

"Oh, don't worry. Lord Van won't come anywhere near us. We used to come here all the time when we were younger. We'd play in the water for hours at a time, but once I started developing breasts, he always made a point to stay away from then on. He usually swims out toward the center of the lake, so as long as you don't go out there you don't have to worry about him seeing you naked." The catgirl explained.

"Oh," Hitomi sighed as she looked toward the middle of the lake. 

"Unless of course you want him to see you naked, then by all means, swim out there." She teased with a devilish grin.

The older teen gasped. "Of course I don't want him to see me naked. How could you even suggest such a thing?"

"Relax. I was just kidding. Sheesh. Can't you even take a joke?" She said as she casually floated face up with her arms out to her sides. Suddenly she straightened up. "Come on Hitomi. I'll race you to the second stream. I'll even give you a head start." 

"Fine but I've got to warn you, I'm a very powerful swimmer." The teen replied as she started for the stream. 

As the older teen swam past her, the feline responded. "As long as you don't swim like you run, I'll beat you easily. Once the teen was about five body lengths ahead of her, the feline said to herself with a smile. "And you don't," she added as she turned and began swimming toward her destination. 

As she boasted, she swam past the teen with ease and reached the stream several body lengths ahead of her. 

Pulling herself up onto the stones that were in the middle of the steam so the water ran gently over her back, the shorthaired girl gasped for air as the young feline frolicked in the shallow waters.

"I thought cats didn't like the water." She said between gulps of air.

"Not this catgirl." The younger teen replied. "I love the water. I would spend all day in the water if it didn't make my fur all frizzy."

Hitomi smiled as she watched her friend play. _'I love it here so much, so very much.'_ She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Resting her cheek on her knee, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the water cascading over her back. _'I just love it here so very much.'_

Halfway across the lake, Van swam with long powerful strokes as if racing some unseen opponent. Coming to an abrupt stop, he dove down into the water and surfaced with a splash a few seconds later. Breathing deeply as he treaded water, he turned so he was facing the direction he had just come from. In the distance, he could make out two forms over by the second stream. 

A thought occurred to him and he took a few strokes in their direction but he quickly chased that thought away and returned to treading water. Smiling to himself, he chuckled and said, "Van, you nasty boy." Then he took a few deep breaths and dove under the water to see how far down he could go before running out of air and having to return to the surface.

After spending nearly an hour playing a mostly one sided game of water tag, Hitomi and Merle made their way back to the beach. 

Sitting on the soft sand with her legs in front of her, Hitomi asked, "Should we get dressed before Van returns?"

Merle, who was laying flat on her back with her hands stretched out to her sides and with her eyes closed, replied, "Don't worry about it. Lord Van won't come back till he sees that we've put our clothes back on."

"You mean he can see us?" The teen's cheeks turned a bright pink as she pulled her legs in closer to her chest.

"Don't worry. He can see that we're here but he can't make out anything worth anything. He'll be able to tell when we're dressed because we'll start walking around and stuff." The catgirl reassured her.

"Oh." She let out a sigh of relief and let her legs slide forward once again. "Fanelia really is a beautiful place."

"This isn't Fanelia." Merle replied with her eyes still closed.

"What? But Van told me that Fanelia encompassed the entire lake." 

"That's almost true, the borders of Fanelia do go around most of the lake. Technically speaking though, this is part of the Zaibach Empire. It used to belong to a kingdom called Cristal, which was conquered by Zaibach over ten years ago. Zaibach raped Cristal of its natural resource then withdrew, leaving the people to fend for themselves. They never bothered with this lake because they use flying ships exclusively. So did the Cristalians. We have always treated all the lands around the lake as ours since neither country that owned it ever paid any attention to it. Van's father, King Goau, had hoped to purchase these lands from Cristal but died before he could. Folken spoke of doing it too, even after Zaibach concurred Cristal but then he disappeared after battling the dragon." 

"I see. It's so sad, how in the midst of all this beauty, so many terrible things always seem to happen." She looked out into the lake, spotting movement far out in the distance. "It's incredible Van even knows how to smile at all." 

After a few minutes Merle replied. "I've done what I can to help put a smile on Lord Van's face but I think I've never seen him happier than over the past two months since you've been here Hitomi. You're good for Lord Van. You make him happy like no one else can."

Turning her gaze on her young friend, who was still lying with her eyes closed, she smiled and responded. "Thanks Merle, that means allot to me, especially coming from you." 

Merle just smiled and replied. "You're welcome."

After about a minute of silence, Hitomi stood up. "Well, I'm pretty well dried off." She started brushing the sand off her body but noticed that there was hardly any on her. "That's strange."

This got Merle's attention, causing the catgirl to open her eyes and sit up. "What's strange?"

"The sand, it didn't stick to me." She said as she ran her hands over the backs of legs and even over her feet but not a grain could be felt.

"Why would the sand stick to you?" Merle asked.

"Back home, on the Mystic Moon, sand has a way of getting into every crack and crevice of your body. Even weeks later and after dozens of baths, you can still find sand in some of the most embarrassing places." She answered.

"Eew! That's disgusting!" The young catgirl make a sickly face. "I'd never set foot on a beach like that."

Picking up her panties and shaking them off, she carefully inspected them for sand as well. "It doesn't even stick to the clothes either. Amazing." She giggled as she put them on.

Van slowly approached the shore. He spotted Hitomi easily as she stood next to his stallion, casually brushing his mane and humming to herself. He looked around but didn't see Merle anywhere. 

When he was close enough, he called out. "Hitomi, it's me, Van. I didn't want to startle you. I'm just letting you know, I'm coming on shore."

Hitomi smiled without turning around. "I was wondering how much longer you were going to be out there." 

As the king slowly rose out of the water he looked around one more time then asked, "Where's Merle?"

"She said she was going to find some sweet fruit, she called it." The emerald-eyed girl continued brushing the beautiful beast. "She said she'd be awhile."

"Oh, I see." The young king replied as he picked up his shirt and started drying himself off with it.

After a few minutes he put his shorts and pants back on as well as his socks and boots. Walking up behind Hitomi, who was still brushing his horse, he placed one hand on her shoulder and the other over her hand that was holding the brush.

"Coragem must really like you. He normally doesn't let anyone brush him except me and his stable hand, Stephian." Van smiled as he held her hand gently.

"Well, I think Coragem and I have an understanding. Don't we Coragem?" She tilted her head so as to be in the horse's field of vision.

The horse reared his head and neighed. 

They both laughed lightly as they shifted so they could look into each other's eyes.

After brushing the horse for a few more minutes, Van put the brush away and they walked out onto the large rocks that stretched out about twenty cubits into the lake. Sitting down next to each other on the rock, they looked out over the tranquil waters, enjoying the early morning air. Hitomi leaned up against his shoulder and sighed happily.

"You know Van… I was thinking…" She hesitated, not sure if she should go on, but now that she started, she felt as if she had no choice. "Maybe three years is too long." She could feel the king's eyes staring at her but she kept her view forward toward the lake as she continued. "I love you so much… and I love Fanelia so very much. M-maybe…"

But before she could continue, Van interrupted. "Hitomi," He put his arm around her and pulled her close. "Nothing would make me happier than to have you here with me always… but seeing you train this past week. I've got to believe you've been doing this for a reason. If it didn't mean anything to you, you wouldn't being trying so hard."

She looked up at him with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"I love you Hitomi. More than I've ever loved anyone in my life but I promised you that I would be patient and wait till you were ready. If that means waiting a week or three years, so be it. I just don't want you making a rash decision that you may want to reconsider later on." He explained.

"Don't you believe me when I say I love you?" A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Of course I believe you Hitomi." He smiled at her as he brushed away the tear. "I just think that maybe these past two months have been almost like a fairytale for us and as much as I will try to make every day like today for you, I know there will be times when… well, things won't always be like today."

"I know." She said softly, resting her head against his shoulder once again. "You're right. I was letting the moment get the better of me. I'm sorry. I'm not usually so fickle."

"That's alright." He rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. "Actually, I was… I've been thinking… about your trips back and forth between our worlds."

"Oh?" Hitomi sat up to look into her true love's eyes. What she saw frightened her just a bit.

"I was thinking that perhaps it's not such a good idea for you to travel between our worlds so often and stay so long."

"What are you saying Van?" Fear began to fill her being.

"It's just that, you spend a month here but then you return home and it's like no time has past at all then you spend a month on the Mystic Moon and only a day passes here. If you keep this up, you'll be an old woman in no time." He looked over at her and saw the fear in her eyes. Reaching out with his free hand, he gently caressed her cheek. "Don't get me wrong, I wish I could have you with me always, but I'm just worried that you may be harming yourself by doing this. That first day you came back, you were so exhausted, even after your nap. I'm afraid this may be too much of a strain on you. I don't want anything bad to happen to you Hitomi. Even if it means not seeing you as often as I'd like. Do you understand?" He pressed his forehead against hers.

Slowly she nodded. "You're right Van. I felt the same way when I returned to earth this last time. I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

Pulling her into his arms, the young king whispered, "Don't be sorry Hitomi. It's not your fault. We'll just have to make the most out of the time we do have together. That's all." 

She slowly nodded her head and held onto him tightly, not wanting this moment to pass. They stayed like this for several minutes until they heard the happy humming of their mutual friend approaching from the forest. Slowly, they separated but not before sharing their love for each other through a kiss. Then they sat hand-in-hand staring out into the lake.

"I found some! I found some!" Merle said with unbridled excitement.

Taking a deep breath, Hitomi turned her head and asked, "What did you fine Merle?"

"Sweet fruit! These are my favorite." She smiled as she skipped over the rocks to where her friends were sitting. Handing each of them two grapefruit-sized fruits, she grinned. "They're delicious." Then she bit into one of the three fruits she still had in her arms.

"Mmm, you're right. It is delicious." The emerald-eyed girl said with a happy smile.

Van just grimaced as he bit into the fruit.

"Is there something wrong Van?" His true love asked.

"Lord Van doesn't like sweet thing. He prefers sour things." Merle grinned. "You're weird that way Lord Van." 

"It's not that I don't like sweet things, it's just that this is way too sweet." He defended himself.

"Well then, you won't be needing that other one then, will you?" Merle grinned wickedly.

"No, I guess I won't." Van looked at it then over at Hitomi. "Would you like it Hitomi?"

"Hey!" Merle yelled.

Trying her best to contain her laughter, the teen from the Mystic Moon, took the fruit then handed it to her young friend. "Here you go Merle. I have to admit. It's a little too sweet for me too. I think one is my limit for now." 

Grinning, the catgirl took the fruit and asked. "Well, in that the case, if you don't want your other one, I'll take it off your hands."

"That's okay Merle. I think I'll save it for later." The older teen grinned back.

The catgirl gave an angry frown but it vanished the moment she took another bite of her fruit. 

The young king laughed silently as he watched his childhood friend devour one fruit after another. Turning to gaze upon his true love, his smile grew as he watched her enjoy the sweet treat as well. Without thinking, he took a big bite out of his fruit as well and grimaced once again. _'Too sweet, way too sweet.' _

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I hope you liked this chapter. ^_^ I wanted to show that Van does have a playful side though he tempers it with restraint. I also wanted to show Hitomi's gradual acceptance of the Fanelian way of life. Also, I was looked for a way to have the length and frequency of Hitomi's visits reduced and this way seemed to make sense. It had been suggested that Van visit Earth but if you recall from the series, only Hitomi could make out what he was saying because he speaks in the Gaean dialect. Because of Hitomi's unusual link or bond to Van and Gaea, she is able to understand and be understood by the people from Gaea, but her alone. 

Again, thank you all for your wonderful comments and reviews. You keep my creative juices flowing with your wonderful words of support. I love them all and I love you all so very much. ^_^

After the summer track practices, things will start moving along a little faster. I won't be writing about each of Hitomi's visits to Gaea but rather just the more eventful ones. In this way, I hope to be able to be done with this story sometime next spring. I hope you'll continue to follow along and will continue to follow along in the three sequels I have planned for this story.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend,

A. Amishi


	70. Chapter 70

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 70

The castle in Fanelia

---

Standing in the middle of the veranda, Hitomi looked up at the stars in the night sky and smiled. A gentle breeze rustled through her hair but the strong, loving arms that encircled her kept her warm. She leaned back into his chest and sighed.

"I can't believe I've already been here four weeks. It seems like I just arrived yesterday." She sighed again as the man she loved placed a soft, tender kiss on her right temple.

"So tomorrow will be your last day here then?" Van already knew the answer to his inquiry but held out hope she might change her mind at the last minute.

She slowly nodded. "I told Yukari I would only stay a month. I…"

Van waited a minute for her to finish her sentence but she said nothing else. "You what?"

"Nothing. It's nothing." She pulled his arms more tightly around her and whispered. "It's such a perfect night Van. Lets just enjoy this last night together. A night without regrets, without sadness."

"Every night with you is a perfect night Hitomi." The young king replied as he pressed his cheek against her temple.

For hours, they stayed like this, mostly in comfortable silence, occasionally whispering words of love. Eventually, Van walked Hitomi back to her chambers where they shared a kiss goodnight. Slowly Hitomi changed into her nightgown and got into bed. 

"Van, I love you so." She smiled to herself. "Three years can't pass fast enough for us, can it?" A tear rolled from her eye as she slowly closed them and willed herself to sleep.

Hitomi got up early the next morning and immediately started packing her belongings. 

After about a half hour, Merle came running into her room, "Hi Hitomi! Oh! You're already up." The catgirl walked over to her friend. "But what are your doing?"

"I'm packing. This is my last day here remember." The older teen said.

"Yeah, I know but… aren't you going to run today? And why are you packing so early?" The young feline asked.

"No, no running today. I'll give my legs a few days rest before summer practice starts. I'm packing now because I wanted to get it out of the way." She said without looking up as she placed the last remaining items she felt she needed to take home with her, in her bag.

"Merle, please don't take this the wrong way, but today… I'd really like it if you could let Van and I …" The teen started saying.

"Say no more. You want to spend the day with Lord Van alone, just the two of you." The catgirl smiled. "I understand Hitomi. Don't worry. I won't get in your way. I'll be in the garden in the back of the castle when you're ready to leave." She walked up to her friend and gave her a big hug. "I love you Hitomi. Next to Lord Van, you're my very best friend."

Surprised momentarily by her younger friend's words and actions, Hitomi quickly recovered and returned the feline's embrace. "I love you to Merle."

With that the catgirl turned and walked out of the room.

"Well, what do you know?" Hitomi whispered to herself with a smile.

Having finished packing, she set her bag aside and walked out of her room, heading for the stables.

In the stables, Van was working with the stable hand, getting the two horses ready when Hitomi walked in.

She spotted him first and called out. "Lord Van, funny I should find you here." She grinned.

"Hitomi!" He stopped what he was doing and walked up to her, pulling her into a loving embrace and kissing her warmly, tenderly.

Hitomi's eyes went wide for a moment as she froze for just a second before returning his embrace and kiss. 

'Van, you've never been so forward, so bold to kiss me like this in front of others, without hesitation.' She sighed with pleasure as she let her eyes drift close. _'I hope you greet me like this from now on.'_ She giggled to herself silently.

"How did you sleep?" He asked after their lips parted.

She smiled up at him. "Wonderfully. I dreamt of you all night."

"Nothing inappropriate I hope?" He teased with a smile.

Hitomi gasped as her cheeks turned a pale rose color. "Lord Van! How could you even think such a thing?"

"My apologize Lady Hitomi." He took a step back and bowed. "I forgot myself for a moment. Can you possibly forgive me?"

"Maybe," She turned sideways trying to hide a smirk with her hand. "If my King can show me a day I'll never forget, then perhaps, I'll be able to forgive you."

"Well," The king smiled confidently as he took a step closer to his beloved. "One unforgettable day, coming up." With that, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to her horse.

Hitomi let out a yelp at the surprise of being lifted off her feet but she wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to carry her over to the steed, placing her foot in the stirrup then releasing her hold on her true love as she mounted the beast.

Smiling up at her, he walked over to his horse and asked the stable hand. "Have all the provisions been accounted for?" 

"Yes my Lord. Everything you requested." The young boy bowed. 

"Very good." He mounted his stallion and turned it about. "We will return before dark."

"Very good my Lord." The boy bowed once again.

Turning toward Hitomi, Van asked. "Are you ready for an unforgettable day?"

"As ready as I'll every be." She smiled back.

With that they rode out of the stable and away from the city.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, it may take a few more chapters to get Hitomi back home than I originally thought. Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter but I promised my Eva fans that I'd get my next chapter of Eva posted by the weekend. It took a lot more work to finish that chapter than I thought it would. Sorry. 

Thank you all for all the wonderful reviews you gave me for my last chapter. It's been quite sometime since I've written a chapter that received anything less than nine reviews. I just hope my writing will continue to motivate you to review it. ^_^

Oh, by the way, Neither02, you are absolutely correct. I did change the terrain around Fanelia so as to meet my needs for this story. Though I did try to keep it as consistent with the show as much as possible.

Again, thank you all for reading and reviewing my story. ^_^ I love you all.

A. Amishi


	71. Chapter 71

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 71

Along the shores of the Vinsorii River

---

The young couple rode side by side along the shore line, enjoying the scenery of the lush green forest to the right of them and the deep blue waters of the Vinsorii River to the left.

"It's so beautiful here." Hitomi giggled, "It's beautiful everywhere in Fanelia."

"Well, you've only seen a small portion of Fanelia but I would have to agree with you. Fanelia is quite beautiful." Slowly a knowing grin appeared upon the young king's face. "In fact, I'd love to show you just how beautiful Fanelia really is." And with that he began to ride at a slow gallop. 

A mild look of confusion appeared upon her face but she set any questions she may have had aside as she rode to catch up with the man she loved. With a light wind blowing in her face and the feeling of power in commanding the elegant beast beneath her, a broad smile made its way across her face as she pulled up next to Van. 

The king ventured a glance over at his true love and smiled at the sight of the pleasure she was obviously experiencing. 

"You're enjoying yourself?" He asked.

"Yes!" She smiled at him briefly.

"Do you want to go faster?"

"Yes!" Her smiled grew.

"Take the lead, you can set the pace." He offered.

"But I don't know where we are heading." She countered.

Lifting his left hand, he pointed to a clearing far off in the distance. "See that clearing there, about a thousand cubits ahead. We're following that path through the forest, up to the top of the ridge on the other side." He offered. "Go on, I'll follow you."

She flashed him a brilliant smile then looked down at her horse for an instant, "HIA!" She yelled as she raced ahead of the king.

The faster she rode the more adrenalin raced through her system giving her a natural high that running could never equal. Van followed close behind and to the right. Riding his stallion had always been one of his greatest joys. The feeling of power, control and danger were hard to match any other way. It filled him with joy to know the woman he loved shared that same feeling of joy. Thoughts of endless days riding along the countryside, just the two of them, filled his mind and brought a joyful smile to his face.

__

'Oh god, I love this. I feel the burn in my legs, back and arms. I know one fatal step could spell disaster. But I can't help but love this. I've never felt a rush like this in my life.' She stole a glance behind her to see Van right on her heels. _'He knew. He must have known I'd love this as much as he does. Oh Van, this is a great start to our day together.'_

As they approached the break in the trees, Van pulled ahead of Hitomi and gave her a wink as he passed her.

"Hey! I thought you said I could lead?" She yelled.

Waiting until they turned up the path, he looked back and said with a grin. "If you want to lead, then ride faster than me." 

The path through the forest was a winding incline but the path itself was wide and well worn, so there was no danger in riding so fast. Though Hitomi was sure Van wouldn't tease her so if he thought there was any real danger, the overhanging canopy and rustling sound of dead leaves being kicked up by the horses' hooves did cause her heart to race as her anxiety level increased but this didn't deter her. A playful scowl crossed the emerald-eyed girl's lips as she coaxed her horse to run even faster. 

As they made their way up the long path, they changed leads several times. While a broad smile remained on her face the whole way, her eyes burned with a dogged determination as her competitive juices rushed through her veins and drove her on. As a break in the forest slowly came into sight, Hitomi pushed her beast on all the more as she broke past Van one last time and pulled ahead. Van smiled gleefully as she pulled away. 

Breaking past the tree line, the female rider came upon a large open clearing that was bordered by a shear cliff on two sides. She slowed down to a trot and made her way to the edge of the cliff. Her partner pulled up next to her as they approached the edge. 

"You've become quite a rider Hitomi." Van smiled. "You're even better than me."

She graced him with a happy grin. "Thanks Van, but you know you really are a terrible liar. You let me win, I could tell, but thank you anyway." She moved her horse sideways till the two beasts were practically touching then she leaned over to kiss him. He followed suit and leaned toward her as well. After they broke their kiss, they gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments before turning their attention to the scenery before them. 

"Wow, is all this Fanelia?" She asked.

"Not all of it." He pointed out to where the forest was tall and its color was a deep dark green then it suddenly changed to shorter trees that were a lighter shade of green. "The change in the forest there marks the border between Fanelia and Asturia." Then he pointed east toward the mountains, "And beyond the second mountain range lies the Zaibach Empire." 

"Whew, and here I thought Fanelia was supposed to be a small kingdom." She marveled at all she saw.

"Well, compared to most of the kingdoms in Gaea, Fanelia is quite small, but it would still take a rider nearly a week to cross from one side of Fanelia to the other." He explained. "Come, we should let the horses rest. We pushed them pretty hard." He said as he dismounted. Hitomi followed suit. After the animals had a chance to cool down, their riders retrieved their water poaches. Taking a small drink themselves, they poured small amounts of water in there hands so the animals could drink. 

The teen from the Mystic Moon gave a small laugh. "It tickles." 

Van smiled, looking over at her, taking great pleasure in the happiness she was experiencing.

They stopped when Van said it was enough then they fed the beasts each a piece of fruit that resembled an apple and a salt tablet. Van retrieved the blanket and tucked it under his left arm. Removing the food pouches from his horse, he slung them over his left shoulder then took Hitomi's left into his right, and walked over near the edge of the cliff. Setting the pouches down, he unfolded the blanket and the two of them spread it out over the ground, then he moved the satchels on the blanket then removed his sword belt and sat down on it as well, as did Hitomi.

As they both removed their shoes, Van setting his boots next to his sword, the brown-haired girl gave a small chuckle.

Van turned toward her with a questioning look. "What's so funny?" He asked with a smile.

She shook her head with a smile and responded, "It's just that we've done this only a few times but we already have a routine."

The smile that was on the king's face slowly faded away as he shifted his gaze from her for a moment, then turning back to her he asked sadly. "Have I become too predictable for you Hitomi?" 

Concern washed over the girl instantly. "No! Van, I didn't mean it that way." She moved closer to him and gently placed her hand upon his cheek. "I love that we've become so familiar, so comfortable with each other that we've started to form routines together. It means we… we're growing closer." She fell silent as she gazed lovingly into his eyes. 

Returning her gaze, Van slowly began to smile once again, then gradually leaned closer to her and her to him. Their kiss was soft and tender. Hitomi sighed with pleasure as Van left her lips and ran a trail of kisses along her jaw line to her eye then down her neck. She sighed again as he nibbled lightly on her neck and only opened her eyes slightly when she felt a gust of wind blow in her face. 

What she saw caused her to scream and fall backward.

"WHAT?" Van yelled, spinning around to see what frightened his love so as he reached for his sword. 

Seeing the creature suspended in the air just above the cliff by the strength of its powerful wings, the King of Fanelia smiled as he stood up and admired the beast. Turning suddenly he extended a hand to Hitomi.

"Don't be afraid. She won't hurt us." He assured her.

Tentatively, she took his hand and rose to her feet but made a point of stay close behind him, clinging to his shirt with only her head peering out from behind him as she looked at the twenty-meter long beast with the thirty-meter long wingspan. 

"Are you sure?" She asked. "Is it some kind of friendly dragon?"

"It's not a dragon at all. It's a salamander." He raised his hand high in the air and it seemed to draw the beast closer. "They live in the high mountains but they come down sometimes when they are looking for food."

"Don't encourage it. It might decide to make breakfast out of us." Hitomi cringed as she pulled closer to her protector.

Van laughed lightly, "That won't happen, you see salamanders are vegetarians." He explained as he kept his hand high and turned slightly to the side. The beast followed the direction he turned and came to land about twenty meters to the right of their picnic blanket. "They're very docile and friendly." He said as he reached behind himself and took his love by the hand. "Come, I'll show you."

"Aaah!" She cringed again but followed him none-the-less. 

Van walked up to the creature and raised his hand again. This time the beast lowered his head and Van stroked her along its long round snout. "This one is a female. You can tell because the males come in many colors: brown, gray, green but the females are always white." 

He glanced over his shoulder to see Hitomi still standing slightly behind him with a look of fear on her face.

"Here," He gently took her hand and guided it to the beasts snout. "Don't be afraid. She won't hurt you."

Hitomi hesitated for just a moment before saying, "Okay Van, I trust you." Then she stepped forward and let him guide her hand over the animal's skin. "It's soft, like combed suede." She smiled. 

The winged animal tilted its head a bit lower and closer toward the girl from the Mystic Moon.

"I think she likes you." Van smiled. A thought occurred to him and he said, "Wait here." As he turned and jogged over to his stallion to retrieve some of the same fruits they had fed the horses earlier.

Returning to his lover's side, he handed her a piece of fruit. "Here."

A look of confusion crossed her face. "What do I do with this?"

"Just hold it out for her. She'll know what to do, and don't worry, she won't bite you." He assured her.

"Okay." She replied hesitantly but did as he instructed anyway.

The salamander lifted its head slightly and sniffed the fruit in Hitomi's hand then it stuck its tongue out and slowly took it from her.

The teen giggled, "That tickles."

Van handed her another fruit and she held it out for the beast again, giggling once more as the winged beast licked her hand as it retrieved the fruit.

"She's actually quite beautiful isn't she?" She said as she rubbed the end of its nose.

Van went and placed the last two pieces of fruit he had on the animal's mouth then ran his hands along the side of its head and by its neck. "Yes, I suppose she is." He smiled over at the teen. 

"Sorry but that's all we have for you." Hitomi smiled sadly as she as she stroked its head.

After a few minutes Van stepped back from the winged beast and took Hitomi's hand as he guided her back as well. She stared over at him with a look of mild confusion. 

"If we continue to pet her, she'll stay here all day. She's a mature female, which means she most likely has young ones waiting on her so they can be fed." He explained.

"Oh," The emerald-eyed teen looked back at the salamander. "Go now, you've got to take care of you children." She called out.

As if acknowledging her instruction, the white-winged creature nodded its head a few times as she spread her wings and took flight. 

"That was amazing." Hitomi exclaimed as she kept her eyes fixated on the creature as it flew away. As it soared above the clouds and out of sight, she turned to her lover and wrapped her arms around his neck as she smiled. "You planned this didn't you?"

Van wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the tip of her nose. "I wish I could say yes, I did but that would be a lie. Salamanders are very unpredictable. You can go years without seeing one then sometimes the skies are so filled with them that you can't see the sky above them." 

"Well, thank you anyway." Her eyes smiled up at him as she leaned in and kissed him deeply, passionately.

"Mmm, I think I'll have to find a way to get the salamanders to appear more often." He said as their lips separated before he pressed his lips to hers again.

After a few moments, Hitomi giggled as she drew away, letting her hands run down the length of his arms until their hands met. Then she placed her palms into his and guided him toward the blanket. "Come on, let's eat."

As she stepped on the blanket, her foot went slightly croaked and she began to fall backwards. 

"Aaa!" She yelled as she lost her balance.

Van pulled her toward him, releasing one hand and wrapped it around her waist quickly to steady her. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah," She turned around and looked down. "Oh, I guess, the salamander must have blown the blanket over onto itself." She reasoned as she saw the item folded over on itself.

The young king released her and went over to unfold it. "It's a good thing the satchels were on the blanket, otherwise it may have blown away." 

The brown-haired girl nodded in agreement as she bent down to help him spread the blanket out again.

Sitting on the blanket, they enjoyed their breakfast in relative silence, taking pleasure in the scenery around them as well as the comfort of their company. When they finished, Van packed everything back up and placed it all back on his horse then they sat at the edge of the cliff, looking out at the valley below and the mountains in the distance. Every now and then he would look up and gage the time based on the position of the sun and the moons. 

Enjoying the beauty of the Fanelian countryside, she asked. "Is all of Fanelia this beautiful?"

"Mmm, I like to think so." Van smiled. _'She asked that question already. Did she forget already or is she truly taken back by the beauty of my country?'_

Smiling back at him then turning back toward the valley she mused. "I wish I could see all of Fanelia for myself."

Looking up at the sun and moons once again then off in the distance at the large cluster of clouds the king said, "Well, I did promise to make this day a memorable one." He smiled as he saw an object come clear of the clouds. "So I guess I'll just have to fulfill your wish." 

Turning quickly to look at him, she gave the young king a questioning stare. "How is that possible? You said it would take almost a week to ride from one side of Fanelia to the other not to mention ride all the way around the Fanelian countryside?"

"Mmm," He nodded before pointing at the object that was descending from the sky.

"Huh?" The emerald-eyed girl looked up and saw the object descending in their direction. "What is that?"

"Don't you recognize it Hitomi?" Van smiled.

The teen continued to stare for several minutes before it's shape became clear to her. She gasped in excitement. "It's the Crusade!" She jumped to her feet, as her eyes grew wide in excitement.

The young king stood up beside her, happy to see her so excited.

"This you planned, I know it." She looked over at him.

"Well, you had decided some time ago that this would be your last day here in Fanelia. It gave me enough time to send an envoy to Asturia to request the use of their airship." He answered.

"So where are we going?" She grinned.

"On a tour of Fanelia, courtesy of the Crusade." He said as he brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face. 

"Oh Van." She gently took hold of his hand and kissed his palm then stepped closer and hugged him. 

Returning her embrace, Van mused, "Mmm, either I'm better at being romantic than I ever thought or you're just way too easy to please Hitomi." He smiled down at her.

Looking up she narrowed her eyes playfully. "Would you prefer it if I were hard to please?" 

Van's eyes went wide for an instant and he pulled her into a tight embrace, whispering in her ear. "I love you just the way you are."

"And I love you just as you are." She replied, holding him tight.

As the Crusade made its landing several meters away, the main hatch of the ship began to open, touching the ground a moment after the rest of the ship did. Descending down the wide plank were two familiar faces. Van and Hitomi walked over toward them as they exited the ship.

"Gadess, Teo!" Hitomi waved happily, even though they were just a few feet from them. "It's so good to see you again." 

Once they were in front of them, the two Asturian soldiers dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. "King Van of Fanelia, we humbly request permission to land our craft upon your soil." Gadess said.

"Huh?" Hitomi's eyes went wide. _'Why are they being so formal? They never behaved like this before.'_

"I, Van Fanel, grant the crew of the Asturian airship, the Crusade, permission to fly over and land upon the kingdom of Fanelia on this day. Thank you for fulfilling my request." Van replied. "Now rise Sergeant Gadess and greet me properly." The king smiled, extending his hand in friendship.

The commander of the Crusade rose to his feet and accepted the king's hand wholeheartedly. "Thank you Lord Van but it is now Captain Gadess." He informed the king, gesturing to his sword, which signified his rank of captain.

"Really? Well, it's a promotion well deserved. Congratulations." The king responded happily. "You do remember the Lady Hitomi Kanzaki?" He gestured to the young lady next to him.

"Of course, how could I ever forget the young lady from the Mystic Moon." He extended his hand in greeting and when Hitomi took it with a smile, he bowed to one knee again. "Lady Hitomi, it is an honor to see you once again."

"Huh? Well thank you Gadess but … why so formal? And you to Teo." She asked turning toward the other man who was still kneeling with his head bowed.

Gadess rose, released her hand and explained. "We received notice from her Majesty, Queen Millerna, some time ago that if we were ever called upon by Lord Van that we were to treat the King of Fanelia and his guests as if we were in her Majesty's presence, at all times.

"Teo, you can get up now." The captain said to his subordinate. 

"Oh." The man rose, a bit ashamed at his failure to follow proper protocol. 

"Why don't you get the horses on board?" His commander instructed.

"Yes sir." Turning toward Van and Hitomi, he added. "It is a great pleasure to see you again Lord Van. Both of you." He bowed quickly then went off and got the horses.

"He's still having difficulty adjusting to the new protocols and formalities." Gadess explained with a grin. "Shall we go on board now, your Majesty?" He gestured toward the ship.

"Yes, of course. My kingdom's flag is in the satchel on Lady Hitomi's horse." He said.

"Very good. I'll have it unfurled upon the flagpole." The captain replied.

"Flag?" Hitomi asked her lover.

"To let the people know that I am aboard this ship and that this ship is here for peaceful purposes." He explained.

"Van?" 

"Yes Hitomi?"

She smiled up at him and gave his hand a gently squeeze. "Nothing, it's nothing." 

Van wrinkled his eyebrow slightly but chose not to question her further.

"So which direction shall we start Lord Van." Gadess asked from up ahead.

"I thought we'd follow the border westward to the city of Celoria." The king replied.

"Very good my Lord." The commander of the ship acknowledged then headed for the bridge as his passengers headed for the outdoor observation deck.

With everyone back on board as well as the horses, the hatch door was closed and the Crusade lifted off for its voyage across the kingdom of Fanelia with the Flag of Fanelia blowing in the wind.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I had hoped to cover their special day all in this chapter but that would have made it very long. The next chapter will be their voyage through Fanelia and Hitomi's return home. At least that is how I have it planned. I hope you enjoyed their special day so far. Oh, by the way, Celoria is a city in Fanelia. Of course, I made it up since we don't learn from the series the names of any other cities within the kingdom. In my story, Celoria will be the second largest city in Fanelia and its primary industry will be textiles, mainly wool and a fabric much like silk. 

Once again, I thank you all for your many wonderful comments and words of support. You have filled me with such confidence that I even started writing yet another story. This one is another Eva story. In my acknowledgement, I thank all of your for the confidence and courage you've given me through your wonderful support during this story. 

Thank you all. I love you all.

A. Amishi


	72. Chapter 72

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 72

The Crusade flew low and slow, to make it easy for its passengers to view the countryside. Van was an enthusiastic tour guide, naming all the forests, rivers and mountains; while Hitomi was a more than receptive tourist, hanging on his every word, pointing at things that caught her eye and asking him questions about them. As they passed yet another picturesque mountain range, a small city came into view.

"What is that?" She asked as she pointed at the approaching town. So excited was she that in pointing at it, she lost her balance and began to fall over the railing. Van reacted quickly, grabbing her around her waist and pulling her back. 

"Wow! That was close." She smiled up at him.

"Hitomi, I've never seen you like this. You're so… so…" He paused as he searched for the right word.

"Giddy?" She giggled as she put her hands over her mouth and nose to hide her embarrassment.

"Well, I was going to say girlish but I suppose giddy works too." He gave her a crooked smile.

Hitomi's smile faded for a second as she pondered his response. _'Girlish? But I am a girl. Doesn't he see me as a girl?' _A frightening thought occurred to her as she turned away from him. "Van, what do you mean by that when you said I was acting girlish? Don't you see me as a girl?" 

"No. Of course not." He answered plainly.

She gasped as tears immediately spring from her eyes.

"I see you as a woman: intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate, full of love and life." He continued as he stepped forward and gently ran his hands over her shoulders. "There's nothing wrong with you acting girlish. It's just not something I'm used to seeing you do, that's all."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Hitomi smiled then quickly turned around and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his chest, breathing in his sent and feeling his warmth. "I love you Van." She whispered. "I… I love you so much."

Van kissed her on the top of her head then pressed his cheek against her hair. "I love you Hitomi and I always will."

They remained in this loving, comforting embrace for several minutes before Van whispered. "We should head down to the main hatch. We'll be landing soon." Then he kissed her on the side of her head.

The girl from the Mystic Moon lifted her head and smiled up at the young king. Then she lifted herself onto her toes and pressed her lips against his, slowly opening her mouth and running her tongue over his lips then over his tongue as he opened his mouth as well. 

As they slowly separated, she whispered, "Thank you for a perfect day."

The king wrinkled his brow and replied. "But the day's just begun."

"I know but it's already been a perfect day for me. Everything else is just icing on the cake." She smiled then kissed him on the cheek and added. "Come on, let's go." 

Sliding out of his embrace, she took his hand and started to lead him back into the ship. Van quickened his pace for a moment so as to be walking side by side with the woman he loved.

The sun was setting behind the castle as the Crusade touched down just outside the city gates. As the hatch opened, two of the crewmembers walked the horses down the ramp and handed them over to the Fanelian guards who were waiting below. 

"Thank you Gadess. We had a wonderful time." The king shook the captain's hand.

"It was my pleasure Lord Van, and if you ever need the services of the Crusade again, please don't hesitate to ask." The captain replied bowing politely.

"It was good to see you again Gadess." The girl from the Mystic Moon extended her hand as well.

"It was good seeing you again Lady Hitomi." He bowed again. "I hope our paths will cross again sometime soon." 

"So do I." She smiled.

With that the King of Fanelia and his guest exited the ship which quickly took off again, heading back to Asturia.

As Van and Hitomi headed into the city, he turned toward her and asked. "So, did I keep my promise? Did I make this a day you'll never forget?"

She stepped in front of him quickly and turned to face him as she threw her arms around his neck. "Yes. It was a perfect day from beginning to end. Thank you Van. Thank you for making my last day here so memorable." She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close as they deepened their kiss. The rush of passion filled them both as she ran her hands through his hair and he worked his hands over her back. Hitomi released soft moans of pleasure as Van softly stroked the inside of her mouth with his tongue. As tears began to fall from her eyes, she slowly parted their kiss as she pressed her cheek against his chest and whispered. "I'll be back, I'll be back as soon as I can." She held on tight, not wanting to ever let go.

"Oh Hitomi." He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent as he committed it to memory. "Promise me. Promise me you'll take care of your commitments first. I don't want you coming back here with any regrets. Do what you must do then come back to me free of worry and without rush. I'll be waiting for you. No matter how long it takes." 

"Oh Van." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I love you so much. I…" She pressed her face into his chest again and wept.

"Shhh, there, there." He caressed her back gently. "Let's have none of that. We'll be together again soon enough. You'll see." He took a half step back and released her from his embrace, which caused her to gasp. Placing his hands on the sides of her face he tenderly wiped her tears away. "Come, Merle is waiting to say her good-byes as well. She's been very patient up till now but if we keep her waiting much longer, she may just explode from the anxiety." He smiled.

This elicited a smile and a soft laugh from the woman he loved. "Okay. Let's go." She took his hand into hers and turned around so they could continue walking. 

It took them almost two hours to reach the garden behind the castle. They walked at a leisurely pace, stopping every now and then to greet well wishers. 

As they passed the archway at the side of the castle and come into view, Merle sprang up from under the tree she had been sitting at for the past four hours. "Lord Van, Hitomi! You're back!" She ran up to both of them and threw her arms around them, hugging them close.

Van gave a quiet laugh, "It's good to see you too Merle." 

They both stroked the top of her head as they smiled at each other.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Merle released them suddenly and ran back to the tree then returned with Hitomi's duffel bag. "I brought down your bag for you." She smiled.

"Oh, in a rush for me to leave." Hitomi put her hands on her hips and tapped her toe on the ground as she gave the catgirl a narrow stare.

"No." Merle shrank away just a bit. "I was just trying to help." Her eyes began to glisten.

"Oh, I was just teasing Merle." Hitomi threw her arms around her little friend. "I'm sorry."

"Don't tease me like that." The catgirl buried her face into her friend's chest. "It's hard enough seeing you go, again. I-I…I." She squeezed her friend tight and wept.

"Oh Merle." Hitomi held her tight. "I'll be back, sooner than you know. Then we can go back to teasing each other, okay." She tried to reassure her friend.

"I don't want to tease you anymore Hitomi. I'm sorry for all the times that I did tease you. You mean so much to me now. It hurts to see you go." 

To this, the emerald-eyed girl had no response. She just held her friend tightly as her own tears rolled down her cheeks onto her friend's hair.

After several minutes, Van placed a gentle hand on each of their shoulders. Slowly they separated and Merle took her place at his side. Van removed the pendant from around his neck and held it in his right hand. He stepped forward and hugged his true love one last time. 

"Till we meet again Hitomi." He smiled at her with sadness in his eyes.

"Till we meet again Van." She replied then they kissed one last time, a short kiss, a chaste kiss.

As they separated, he held the pendant up in the air and a pillar of light appeared around them. Hitomi bent down and grabbed her bag then said one last time before she started ascending into the air. "I love you Van Fanel."

"I love you Hitomi Kanzaki." He replied as she rose up into the sky and out of sight.

A tear rolled down his cheek as he continued to gaze up into the heavens. 

"Are you crying Lord Van?" A tearful Merle asked.

He paused for a moment, still staring up into the night sky then he looked down at his childhood friend. "Yes Merle, I am, but it'll be okay."

"Why will it be okay this time when it wasn't the last time?" She asked sadly.

"Because, this time, I know without a doubt that Hitomi will be back. She didn't rush off like last time. We had no unresolved issues like last time. I know she'll be gone longer this time, not just a day but I also know that when she comes, she won't have anything hanging over her." He paused for a moment. "And she loves me. I know now without any doubt what so ever. She loves me and I love her." He said, looking back up into the sky then down at his young friend again.

"Come on Merle. It's getting late. You must be hungry. Let's see what's in the kitchen." He put his arm around his feline friend as they walked toward the castle. 

"Lord Van… do you think you could ever love me that way?" She asked hopefully.

"Merrrle." The king replied.

"Just asking, just asking." She gave a soft giggle.

"Oh Merle." He gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I love you Lord Van." She said happily.

"I love you too Merle." He bent over and kissed her on the top of her head.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I know many of you were probably expecting a tour of Fanelia in this chapter but that would have taken far too long an I already spent more time in Fanelia than I had planned. But not to worry, we will still see different parts of Fanelia in future chapters. Next up, Hitomi is back home. How has controlling the time and point of her return affected her? Will she be able to perform at the level she achieved on Gaea back home during the summer practices? And when will be return to Gaea and to the man she loves? The answers to all these questions should be in the next chapter. 

Once again I thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to read and review my story. I love all the feedback I get and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. ^_^

A. Amishi


	73. Chapter 73

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 73

As the light faded around her, Hitomi found herself standing in the middle of her high school track field. The sky was dark and the air cool and crisp. It took her a few minutes to get her bearings but once she did she began looking about her for her friend.

"Where can Yukari be?" She wondered out-loud as she set her bag on the ground. "Don't tell me I arrived back before I even left? No, that's not possible, I concentrated on arriving an hour after I left. She's got to be around here somewhere." In looking about, she spotted the clock tower of the school that confirmed her expectations. 

From the pathway north of the track, between the sports complex and the school building, Yukari came running with two cans of soda in her hands. When she spotted her friend she called out. "HITOMI!!!"

The shorthaired girl turned around and quickly spotted her friend running in her direction. She smiled and raised her hand high over her head as she waved. Suddenly, she felt warm and dizzy. Her hand fell to her side and she took a few staggered steps forward then back, and before she knew what happened everything went dark.

"HITOMI!!!" Yukari screamed in terror as she saw her friend fall sideways and hit the ground hard. She instantly dropped the sodas and ran as fast as she could to her fallen friend. As she came rushing up next to her she dropped to her knees and rolled her friend on her back. 

"Hitomi! Hitomi! Oh God, please be all right." She bent down and checked to make sure she was breathing. "Yea, okay, she's breathing." Then she checked her heart. "Okay, nice strong heartbeat." Yukari's hands trembled as she tried to think what she should do next. Finally, she reached down and shook Hitomi by the shoulders. "Hitomi, Hitomi, wake up. Please wake up."

She waited a few seconds but got no response from the unconscious girl so she did it again. 

Slowly Hitomi's eyes began to open just a bit. Yukari drew close, panic still etched all over her face. "Hitomi, can you hear me? Are you all right Hitomi? Hitomi!" She asked frantically.

Slowly, a faint smile appeared on the fallen girl's face. "Yukari, you're here. You saw me, didn't you? You saw me leave and come back, didn't you?" She whispered slowly.

The redhead gave her friend a weak smile, "Yeah Hitomi, I saw you. I saw you go to Gaea."

"Good." She whispered then her smile faded. "I'm sorry to worry you. I… I guess I passed out. I'm so tired. Can I take a short nap right now? I'm just so tired." She told her friend as her eyes began to close again.

"That's all right Hitomi. You can rest now. Just for a little while, then we'll go home and you can go to sleep for as long as you like." The redhead smiled as she lifted her friend's head up and set it on her lap, gently brushing the hair out of Hitomi's face. "You're home now."

The first thing that she noticed was the steady hum that echoed in her ears. _'The train, it sounds like the train.'_ Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw the empty train seats across from her. Gradually she sifted her gaze up to the windows of the train and saw Yukari's reflection off the glass. "Yukari?"

"So you're finally up sleepy head." The pleasant voice of her longtime friend entered her left ear. 

Turning her head to face the direction of the sound she found herself looking up at her red haired friend. "Yukari, where are we? What are we doing here?" 

Her friend smiled and said mischievously, "I never realized how much you enjoyed using my lap as a pillow."

"Huh?" Hitomi turned her head back around to see she was indeed resting on her friend's legs. "Oh, sorry." She said as she tried to sit up but became dizzy the instant her head left her friend's lap.

"It's okay Hitomi." Yukari gently pushed her friend back down. "Don't push yourself." She added as she stroked her friend's hair. "Just rest."

After a few moments of silence, the emerald-eyed girl asked, "How did we get here?"

"What was the last thing you remember?" The redhead replied.

After considering the question for a few minutes, she answered, "I remember returning to the sports complex. I… remember hearing you call my name. I turned around and saw you running toward me. I remember waving to you. Then… then I, I seem to remember feeling very warm and lightheaded all of a sudden." She tried to recall what happened after that. "That's it, I-I can't remember what happened after that."

"Hmmm," Yukari frowned as she continued to stroke her friend's hair. "Well, you passed out after that, then you woke for a moment only to pass out again. I let you sleep for about a half an hour then I woke you and helped you to the train station. You fell back asleep waiting for the train." She paused for a moment, looking out the window of the train, then turned back to her friend. "We should be arriving at the station in about five minutes."

"Five minutes," Hitomi sighed, "Then I need to get up." She replied as she tried to sit up again. This time Yukari helped her up and while she got dizzy again, she managed to get all the way up. "Thank you Yukari." She sighed with a faint smile.

"Hitomi, I'm worried about you. This isn't normal. Why are you so tired, so drained?" The redhead expressed her concern.

"I'm not sure." The taller girl pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. "I think… it must be from my efforts to control when and where I return to. I don't know why it should take so much out of me but for some reason it is." 

They sat there for a few minutes till the train slowed down. Yukari looked out the windows again then grabbed Hitomi's bag and flung it over her shoulder. Standing up she stood in front of her friend and offered her, her hand. "Come on, this is our stop." 

Looking up, the taller girl took her friend's hand and slowly got to her feet. While she was a little unbalanced, she didn't get any dizzier. Smiling weakly at her friend, she nodded and said, "I'm okay."

Slowly they walked toward the door of the train as it pulled into the station. "I'm worried about you Hitomi, I'm really worried." Her friend voiced her concern as her eyes glistened. 

The shorthaired girl took in a deep breath and sighed. "To tell you the truth Yukari, I'm a little worried myself."

The walk from the train station to Yukari's house was slow and uneventful. Occasionally, the red-haired girl would take her friend by the elbow to help her along when she seemed a little wobbly. It became very apparent to the red-haired girl that her friend was losing her strength quickly. Once at Yukari's place, they said hey to her parents then retreated up to her room. In her room, Yukari helped Hitomi change into one of her nightgowns and tucked her in bed. 

Sitting at the side of the bed, she watched her friend sleep as a tear escaped her eye. "Oh Hitomi. What are you doing to yourself, traveling back and forth between two worlds like this?"

The delicious smell of sweet bean buns roused the emerald-eyed girl from her deep slumber as she stretched every part of her body. "Mmm, that smiles good." She smiled as she opened her eyes to see her friend sitting at the end of the bed eating a bun and washing it down with an energy drink. She waited a moment for a reply but none came. Slowly she pushed herself up to a sitting position and was pleasantly surprised that she didn't get dizzy in any way. "Sweet bean bun and a power drink, not exactly your normal Saturday breakfast, hey Yukari." She teased with a grin.

Still without looking over and with partially chewed food in her mouth the red-haired girl answered. "It's not breakfast, it's lunch." She paused for just a moment, "And it's not Saturday, it's Sunday."

"What?" Hitomi shot up straight. "No way, that would mean I slept an entire day."

"Day and a half." Yukari placed the partially eaten bun back its bag on the floor and stood up, setting her drink down on her dresser as she stared at her own reflection for a moment then taking the time to wipe away her tears, she continue. "It's already 3:30 in the afternoon. Luckily for you, my parents left yesterday to visit my aunt, otherwise my mom would have insisted my dad take you to the hospital. I had to lie to her twice and tell her over the phone that you were up and round already." Finally, she turned to face her friend with her face flushed and her eyes red. "You scared my Hitomi. You don't know how much you scared me. I thought, I thought…" She couldn't contain herself anymore and began to cry again.

"Hey, hey, Yukari." The shorthaired girl got up from the bed, walked over and embraced her friend tightly. "It's okay, it's okay. Everything's okay now." 

"No, it's not Hitomi. Last time you slept for nearly twelve hours, this time you slept for a day and a half. What will happen next time?" The redhead sobbed.

"I guess I'll turn into sleeping beauty." The taller girl joked.

Her joke just served to anger her friend. "That's not funny." She scolded as she tried to push free from her friend's embrace but Hitomi refused to let her go that easily.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Yukari, you're right. It's not funny, I'm sorry. And I don't know what will happen next time but I know I can't stop seeing Van, no matter what it does to me." She said to her friend hoping to calm her fears.

"That's crazy Hitomi!" She yelled, finally grabbing hold of her friend's arms and pushing herself free of her embrace. "You'd risk your life just to be with this guy? That's not sane."

"Maybe it's not but would you really do any less to be with Amano?" Hitomi countered.

Yukari opened her mouth to speak but after thinking for a moment, she closed it and leaned back against the dresser as he turned her gaze away from her friend. 

Hitomi smiled and leaned in close. "I didn't think so." Her smile grew. "And besides, look at me now." She took a step back and straightened up. "I feel fine, fit as a fiddle. And wait till you see me during summer practice tomorrow. Everyone's going to be in for a big surprise." She gave a big toothy grin that went ear to ear as she place her left fist on her hip and gave her friend the victory sign with her right hand.

To this, Yukari couldn't help but smile and give a soft chuckle. "Well, since you put it that way." 

"All right then," The taller girl, gave her threw her friend a wink and gave her the thumbs up sign. "So, what's there to eat?" She shifted her gaze at the bag on the floor. 

The redhead went wide-eyed as she lunged at the bag, screaming, "Those are mine!"

But her friend who was closer to the bag snatched it up and was heading for the door before she knew what had happened. "Not anymore they're not." She called out as she opened the door and ran down the hall laughing.

"Come back with my buns Hitomi, you thief!" The redhead yelled as she chased her friend out the door, down the hall, down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Track practice started at 8am sharp as the boys were split into three squads and the girls into two. After thirty minutes of warm-ups, the boys, led by the team captain, set off on a ten kilometer run while the girls, also led by their team captain, set off on a five kilometer run.

As they started off, Hitomi felt strong and confident. _'This should be easy after running over ten kilometers every day on Gaea.'_ She smiled to herself.

But after just one kilometer, fatigue began to set in and Hitomi finished the five K dead last.

While the first squad ran their sprints, Hitomi sat on the field stretched as her friend and team manager walked up behind her and slapped her across the back of her head.

"Ouch! Hey, what was that for?" The emerald-eyed girl complained as she rubbed the back of her read, giving her friend an angry frown.

"For lying to me." The redhead said as she sat down next to her friend. "You said you trained almost every day there in Gaea, but that was pathetic. Not only did you finish last, but you were also a good twenty seconds slower then the last girl in front of you. I think the only training you did in Gaea was exercising food to your mouth."

"Hey, now that's just not true." Hitomi sat up. "Look at me. Have I ever look more fit in my life?" She held out her arms to the side to give her friend a good look at her.

Looking her over very carefully, Yukari had to admit, "No, actually you look like you'd be in the best shape of your life. So why such a weak showing? Are you still suffering the effects of trying to control you travel between worlds?" Worry lines creased her forehead.

"No," The young athlete laughed. "I was just taking it easy, that's all. You'll see that once we start our sprints, I'll blow them all away. I told you, I've been running under thirteen seconds consistently for over a week now. These girls are in for a surprise." She laughed confidently.

"Well… okay, but you better not let me down. I've already told the senior captain and her assistant to keep a close eye on you. They're expecting to see something special as well." The redhead stood up. "Don't let me down." Then she walked off.

"Don't worry." The shorthaired girl smiled as her friend walked away but a moment later the smile melted away. _'I hope I'm right. Just one good sprint is all I need.'_ She sighed sadly. _'I can't believe how weak I feel.'_

Taking her position in the forth lane, Hitomi tried to visualize the time she ran her best 100 meters. _'12.47 seconds, I can do that again. It was no fluke. Just visualize. Lining up in front of the block, setting myself, breathing, focusing, focus, focus'_

"SET… BANG!" The gun fired and all eight girls were off. Hitomi took the instant lead with a quick start out of the blocks. Running for all she was worth, she focused all her energy on reaching the finish line as fast as she could.

"Yukari! Wait up! I said I was sorry. Yukari!" The young athlete chased after her best friend, who was already several meters ahead of her. 

The redhead came to a stop, her head bowed low and her eyes tightly shut. "13.39, that was your best time all day, 13.39. Do you remember what the slowest qualifying time was at the prefectural meet last Spring? It was 13.02, Point three-seven seconds faster than your fastest time today. Do you know what your fastest official time has been? It was 13.05. You just missed making the finals by point o-three seconds. Today, you wouldn't have even made it to the semi-final round. You really disappointed me today Hitomi. I believed in you and you let me down, and you let me look like a fool in front of the seniors as well."

"Yukari, please." Hitomi stood behind her friend, struggling to catch her breath. "I don't know why I ran so poorly today but I swear to you, I did train every day I was on Gaea."

"Stop it!" Yukari spun around and glared at her friend. "I don't want to hear about Gaea, or Fanelia or your precious Van. I don't want to hear any of it. I don't care what you did over there. What I care about is what you do here."

"That's not fair Yukari and you know it." Hitomi countered. "I worked hard in the month I was in Fanelia. I trained as hard as I've ever trained. I controlled my journeys both two and from Gaea for the people I love, Van and you. I'm the one who's been suffering from its effects. How do you think I feel when I give everything I've got and can only run a 13.39? How do you think I feel when in my last heat I run slower than 14 seconds? It's humiliating, I felt like crying, but I know I can do better, I know I can do much better. It's just a matter of time. I know I'm not fully recovered yet, but when I am, I'll show you, I'll show all of you." Angered by her friend's earlier words, the taller girl started walking off, struggling to keep up a fast pace while carrying her duffel bag. 

"Here, let me get that for you." Yukari grabbed the strap and gently pulled it from her friend's shoulder. 

"Ugh?" The shorthaired girl looked over and saw her friend smiling at her.

"I'm sorry Hitomi. You're right. I know you'll do better." She winked.

"Thanks Yukari." Hitomi smiled, allowing her friend to take her bag. "Thanks for believing in me."

"Hey, what are friends for." The redhead replied. After a few minutes of silence, she added. "Just promise me one thing Hitomi."

"Sure, what?"

"Don't visit Gaea again, at least until after the summer practice. Okay?" Yukari asked with pleading eyes.

"Oh Yukari." Her friend returned a similar look of sadness. 

"If you're right then hopefully, in a few days you'll be back to normal and running at top form but if you go to back to Gaea than you'll go through this all over again." Yukari reasoned as she pleaded her case.

Hitomi looked away for a few minutes before turning back toward her friend, and answering. "Okay Yukari, I promise. No trips to Gaea."

"And no telepathic communications either. I don't want you doing anything that may jeopardize your performance." The redhead looked her friend squarely in the eyes.

Sighing sadly, the shorthaired girl nodded slowly. "Okay, no communication till after summer practices." She turned and started walking again.

Yukari got in step with her friend and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Hitomi, this month will pass before you know it. You'll see."

"I hope you're right." The athlete said softly.

"READY! … SET! … BANG!" 

"I don't believe it." Said the captain of the girls track team. 

"She's going to beat 13 seconds. I just know it." The team manager said, not bothering to hide her excitement.

"She's going to do it." A surprised team captain added while staring at his girlfriend's stopwatch from over her shoulder.

"AND!!!" Yukari pressed the button, stopping the timer. "WOW! 12.45! Unbelievable!" 

"That's amazing!" Amano marveled then quickly waved over at his teammate who was timing from the other side of the lanes. 

The teammate yelled. "Twelve point four-five seconds!"

"It's incredible. The best she ran all last week was thirteen point one. How did she get so much better so fast?" Megumi Yotsuga wondered out loud.

"I told you, she was sick last week. But now she's all better and I'm sure her times will just keep getting better. You'll see." Yukari smiled.

"She may be able to break twelve point three by the end of the month." Amano speculated.

"Hmm." The Megumi considered Amano's assessment then said, "Yukari."

"Yes Captain?" 

"Move Hitomi to the first team practice squad. I want to see how she does against real competition." The team captain gave a knowing smirk.

"Yes Captain. I'll make the change for tomorrow's practice." The manager replied.

"Why wait, move her for the rest of today's practices." The dark-haired senior replied.

"Oh, but then we'll have unbalanced teams." Yukari countered.

"Determine who has run the slowest times consistently in the first team squad and move her to the second team tomorrow." Then she turned and started walking away.

"Very well Captain." The team manager said sadly.

After the captain of the girls team was far enough away so as not to be heard, Amano place a gentle hand on his girlfriend's shoulder and asked, "What's wrong Yukari? I thought you'd be happy for Hitomi especially after the way you stood up for her all last week."

Turning to face him she replied, "I am happy for Hitomi. But moving Hitomi up to the first team means moving one of the other girls down to the second team and I already know who that will be."

"I'm sure, whomever it is, they will understand. It's the nature of sports for the strongest and the fastest to rise to the top." He explained.

"But the girl what will have to be moved down is Akane." She replied sadly.

"Oh." Amano couldn't hide his sadness either at the news. "Well…" He lowered his head in pensive contemplation. "I'm sure if anyone understands, it will be Akane. She's been through so much already, it would be easy for her to accept but she's a true athlete. She'll understand." Looking over at the boys' team that was currently running drills, He turned back toward his girlfriend and caressed her shoulder gently. "Everything will be all right. You'll see." He said with a smile. "I've got to go now." He blew her a kiss then turned and started off in the direction of the rest of the team. As he walked away, Hitomi was jogging past him toward her best friend. "Congratulations Hitomi, that was a great time." He said with a smile.

"Thanks Amano." She stopped quickly and bowed then continued running again.

"So Yukari, what was my official time?" She asked smiling broadly.

"Oh, ah, twelve point four-five seconds." Her friend smiled.

"That's great! That's one one-hundredth of a second faster than my best time on Gaea. See I told you I'd been practicing." The young athlete through her shoulders back proudly, placed her left hand on her hip and gave her friend the victory sign. 

"Well you don't have time to boast, Megumi wants you on the first team squad right now." The redhead pointed toward the starting line where the first team was busy warming up. 

Megumi saw Hitomi looking over at them and waved her over. "Hitomi! Come on!" 

After waving back, Hitomi grinned widely and turned toward her friend. "Wow! All ready!" She reached out and gave her friend a squeeze on the shoulder. "Thanks Yukari, thanks for believing in me." As she ran toward the starting line, she waved back to her friend. "Wish me luck."

"Okay, what's wrong?" Hitomi finally asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Why do you ask?" Yukari gave a weak grin.

"And you say I'm a bad liar. You're even worse. Come on Yukari, I just ran four of the fastest times I've ever run and you look like you just found out you've contracted some fatal disease or something." A frustrated Hitomi informed.

"I'm sorry Hitomi. You're right." The redhead stopped walking and looked down at toward the ground. "I am happy for you and for the team. You really proved yourself today." She sighed, "It's just, Megumi told me I had to move one of the other girls to second team to make room for you."

"Oh," Hitomi looked away as a sense of remorse filled her. "Well, I can't say that I'm happy that someone else has to move down to make room for me… but I guess that's the why our sport is."

"But the girl I have to move down is Akane Tendo." Her friend explained.

The shorthaired girl gasped. "But she's the oldest girl on the team. She's the only girl that was made captain as an eleventh grader."

"And she was easily the best athlete this school has ever had… until her accident that is." Yukari hung her head.

"She's worked so hard to recover her form. It just doesn't seem fair." Hitomi set her bag down and plopped down on the grass along the sidewalk.

"I know, but the captain said to move the girl with the slowest times down to the second team, and while her times have been improving, they're still slower than the other girls on the first team." The redhead said sadly as she plopped down next to her friend.

"It's times like this I feel like such a cheat." Hitomi whispered.

"A cheat, why?" Her friend gave her a questioning stare.

"Because, unlike everyone else, I had an extra month of practice. This is like a second summer practice for me. Would I be running faster than Akane right now if I hadn't spent that month on Gaea? I don't think so." She whispered remorsefully.

"Don't blame yourself Hitomi. If anyone of the other girls could have taken advantage of the opportunity you had, they would have jumped at it too. In the end you'll be helping out the whole team be running faster times and winning more races. Besides, just because you were in Gaea, there was no guarantee that you would have trained as hard as you did. That took plenty of self-discipline on your part. So you have nothing to be ashamed of." The redhead reasoned.

"I guess you're right." The taller girl replied. "Still, I guess the least I can do is be the one to tell Akane for you."

"No, that's all right. As team manager, it's my job to do." The redhead replied.

"Well, at least let me be there with you. Okay."

"Okay." Yukari replied. After a few moment of walking in silence, she continued, "Hey Hitomi."

"Yeah Yukari."

"Thanks. I always hate giving bad news, especially when I have to do it alone."

After a few more minutes of quiet walking, Hitomi replied. "You're welcome."

Then they walked the rest of the way in silence.

That night Hitomi lay staring up at her ceiling. "It just doesn't seem fair. Akane Tendo has given so much to women's sports at our school over the years. And now she has to endure the insult of having to be moved down to the second team because of me. Because I go an extra month's practice." She sighed. "What should I do? What should I say? Oh, I wish Van were here. I wish I could speak with Van about this."

She laid in silence for several minutes before whispering. "But I can, if I really want to." She closed her eyes and began to concentrate but opened her eyes back up quickly. "No, I promised Yukari I wouldn't do that. It's bad enough that I've broken my promises in the past to Merle, I won't start breaking them to Yukari too." 

She rolled onto her side and exhaled deeply. As she drew in another breath, she whispered, "I wonder what Van would say if he were here right now?"

As she thought of the man she loved, she clasped her hands together and held them close to her chest. "He'd probably say something like. **_"It is the duty of every warrior, of every samurai to use the opportunities presented to him to improve his skills, to better himself. A man who fails to do so has no right to call himself a warrior. Use your opportunity here on Gaea to improve your skills, to prepare yourself as best you can. I will aid you in every way I can but it is ultimately up to you Hitomi." _**That is what he would say." She smiled, then closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.

The next morning Yukari walked up to Hitomi who was sitting on the grass lacing up her track shoes. 

"Ready?"

Looking up at her friend, Hitomi could tell the task at hand was still bothering her, but she nodded and stood up. "Where is she?" She looked around the complex.

"She's warming up over by the starting blocks." The redhead gestured casually with her eyes.

"Well, no reason to put if off anymore." Hitomi replied.

"Right." And with that they turned and walked toward the starting blocks.

As they did the other girls who were around there spotted them and casually got up to leave. If fact, they were the only three people by the starting blocks by the time they were standing almost next to Akane Tendo.

  
"Hi Akane." Hitomi said with a smile.

"Hi Akane." Yukari said a moment later trying desperately to smile but failing.

"Hi Hitomi, Yukari." The older girl replied.

"Akane, may I have a word with you?" Yukari said rather timidly.

The older girl stopped stretching out and stood up. "Sure, what is it Yukari?"

"Well, you see. As you already know, Hitomi's times yesterday were good enough to have her moved to the first team squad." The redhead started.

"Yeah, I know. Congratulations Hitomi, you've really improved since the last meet." She extended her hand to the taller girl.

"Oh, thank you Akane. Coming from you, that's a real complement." Hitomi laughed softly.

"Yea, well see… aah the problem is… well, not so much a problem just… more like a situation, I guess." Yukari sighed. "Well, what I'm trying to say is…"

"It's okay Yukari, it's no big deal really. I know you have to move someone to the second team and that someone is me." The older girl smiled sympathetically. "I understand completely."

"You knew already?" Yukari's eyes expressing the same shock that appeared in her words.

Laughing softly for a moment, the older girl said, "Well, it doesn't take a genius to know you need two balanced teams and I can't help but notice that I've been finishing last in almost all the heats. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone replaced me on the first squad but to tell you the truth, I'm glad it's you Hitomi." 

"Huh? Really." The taller girl's eyes went wide.

"I've been watching you for some time now and I must say of all the girls on the team, you remind me most of myself, when I was younger."

"Really." A broad smile crossed the emerald-eyed girl's face.

"Well, not in running style. You're much more fluid than I've ever been. I guess those extra centimeters make all the difference." The dark-haired girl laughed. "But in your intensity. When you run, you run like it's the most important thing in the world to you. I used to run that way too."

"Used too?" 

Smiling at the two younger girls, she continued. "I'm sure you've all heard the stories about how I got engaged at 16. Well, to tell you the truth, my fiancé and I never really got along too well. At least until my accident late last year. He blamed himself and while he was partially to blame, I had just as much to do with my injuries as anyone. But when it looked like I might never walk again and I was ready to give up, he wouldn't let me. He pushed me and worked with me and made me cry many a nights but he was also there to wipe away my tears. I learned to love him back then. I think we learned to love each other. And when I was able to walk again, I set my mind on begin able to run again as well. Almost every day for months now and every weekend, we head up into the mountains and he helps me train."

"And now I've taken away your chance at being able to compete again." Hitomi bowed her head being filled with remorse.

"No, not at all. You've trained hard and you run fast, faster than I'm running. You deserve to be on the first team. All the girls that are on the first team deserve to be on it." Akane smiled. "Don't you see? A year ago, the doctors told me I'd never walk again, let alone run. But here I am. I'm good enough to make the team and if I keep training, maybe I'll be good enough to make the first squad again before the autumn season is over. Megumi still respected me enough to place me on the first team at the start of practice but I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd be moved now. So you see. As far as I'm concerned, I've already won. I'm not only walking bur running again and I've discovered that I really do love my fiancé and he loves me." She smiled happily. 

"I'm so happy for you Akane." Hitomi stepped forward and embraced the older girl. 

"Thank you Hitomi." The older girl returned her embrace. "I just hope that someday you can find a love like mine."

Giving the senior team member a secret smile, she replied. "I hope so too."

Yukari extended her hand to her school's legendary athlete. "I'm so glad you understand Akane."

"Of course I understand, remember, I was team captain last year, before the accident that is." She smiled, "I know it's not always easy but these types of things happen." 

As they walked away, Hitomi observed, "She such a nice person. I wish I could have gotten to know her better." 

"The season's not over yet. It's still not too late." Yukari smiled. 

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Hitomi smiled back.

Hitomi and Yurika walked home from the last day of summer practice together. The red-haired girl could hardly contain her excitement. 

"I can't believe it, I just can't believe it." She jumped about. "You just blew them all way, not just once, not just twice but six times in a row. That was amazing." She slashed her hand through the air. "Vroom! Right past everyone like they were standing still."

"Okay, now you're exaggerating." Hitomi replied. "I only beat Megumi by two tenths of a second."

"It might as well have been by an hour. Did you see the look on her face when you won the second race?" The shorter of the two asked.

"No, I was ahead of her, remember." The taller one replied.

"Well, take my word for it, it was priceless, and each time after that. I think after the fourth time, she pretty much gave up." 

"What are you talking about? She was on my heals in all six races." The athlete replied.

"Yeah but she just didn't have that same look in her eye those last two times. It's like she knew she was going to lose and just gave up near the end." The team manager laughed.

"Hey, why are you laughing at Megumi? She's our captain and a decent person too." The taller girl scolded her friend.

"I know. I don't mean anything by it. It's just, I guess, I just find it funny is all. To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to beat her at all during summer practices and you've done it twelve times now. But those last six times were so impressive, how you took the lead from the beginning and never looked back. I can't wait for the season to start next weekend." Yukari laughed.

"Next weekend? What do you mean; the first meet isn't for three weeks at Furinaki High School." Hitomi stopped walking and stared directly at her friend, waiting for some type of explanation.

"Don't you remember, we're competing in the Southeastern Regional Invitation meet this year. The teams with the top two scores from the four regions will compete at the Tokyo Invitational the following week. You got the notice during the last week of school, just like everyone else." The redhead explained.

"Yeah, but I was in another world for a month, remember? I completely forgot about the invitational meet." She sighed sadly. "I was hoping to go visit Van this weekend." 

"Don't you dare!" Yukari stamped her foot angrily. "You're running in top form right now. Don't you dare do anything to jeopardize that. With the way you and Megumi are running right now, I won't be surprised at all if you guys finish the 100 meters one-two. And with the two of you on the four by one hundred relay as well, we've practically got the invitation to the Tokyo Invitational locked. All we'd have to do is place in the top three in the two hundred, the four hundred, the eight hundred and the sixteen hundred and we're in. And that shouldn't be too difficult. Hey, ever consider doing the two hundred as well?" The girl got a devilish look about her.

"No way. I'm a hundred-meter girl. That's it. Don't try to make me pull double duty in an event I've never run." Hitomi pointed an accusing finger at her friend.

"Okay, okay." She backed off immediately. "But just remember, no traveling the week before a meet. Who knows how long it will take you to recover next time."

"But we have a meet every week after that, all the way to the Nationals in October. You don't expect me not to see Van until after the Nationals do you?" A panicked Hitomi pleaded.

"That is exactly what I'm expecting." Yukari placed her hands and her hips and gave her friend a very serious stare. "Look Hitomi. The way you're running now, you can set all kinds of records for a tenth grader. But it's not going to happen if you go off to Gaea again. You've got to decide what's more important to you, your running and your team or spending time with the man you love."

"That's not fair Yukari. You can't make me choose between track and Van." 

"Well, that's exactly what I'm asking you to choose from. I'm not saying never see Van again, I'm just saying wait till after the season's over. That's all." The redhead clarified.

"But it's already been a month since I've seen him or spoken to him. Now you want me to wait two more months. I can't do that, I won't do that." Hitomi yelled as tears filled her eyes.

"Well, then go and don't come back. Go marry him and become his queen if that is what you really want to do. Just don't yank our chain by coming here and putting up times like you have this month then head off to Gaea just so you can return and run the way you did that first week. If that's what you're going to do, then we're better off without you, so just go." Yukari fumed.

"Could you leave Amano for that long?" Hitomi asked.

Pausing a time, the redhead steeled her expression and replied, "Yes, if I had to. If it meant helping the team win, then yes, I could."

"Well, I guess the difference between you and me is that I would never ask you to do such a think." Angrily Hitomi spun around on the balls of her feet and walked home alone.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: First off I'd like to apologize for taking so long to update. I actually had this chapter completed some about a week ago but I was looking to get some feedback from a couple of my readers to see what they thought about including Akane Tendo in my fic. Unfortunately, I waited in vain since I never did get in touch with them. I am really sorry for the delay in updating. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This was something different for me with regards to this story. Things moved much faster and a whole month passed in this one chapter. Let me know what you think about that as well. I am thinking of doing more of this in order to move things along more quickly. Did you like it? Did it feel too rushed? Please let me know. 

Thank you for your patience and for your comments. You keep me going with your reviews. ^_^

Thank you all so much for your support.

A. Amishi


	74. Chapter 74

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 74

The Palace of Asturia in Palos

---

As the carriage pulled up in front of the steps of the Palace, Allen Schezar, Knight of Heaven, approached to greet its occupant. Coming to a stop, the coachman's assistant quickly climbed down and opened the carriage door, from which emerged a tall, burly man with a salt and pepper beard and hair.

"Sir Baschan I presume," Allen bowed. "It is an honor to have Fanelia's Minister of the Interior here at Palos."

Returning the bow, the minister replied. "The honor is all mine Sir Allen Schezar."

The young knight's eyes widened slightly. "I'm sorry Minister, but I don't recall meeting you before. How is it you know who I am?"

The older man gave a hardy laugh. "I was told by both Lord Van and Lady Hitomi that when I met the most dashing knight in Asturia, I will be in the presence of Allen Schezar. And though I have not met all of the Knights of Heaven, I cannot imagine another human, being any more dashing than you, Sir Knight."

Allen gave a short laugh. "You flatter me Minister."

"Please, call me Baschan." The taller man smiled.

Grinning cheerfully, the knight gestured to the minister to accompany him into the palace. "Very well Baschan but only if you call me Allen."

The two men laughed as they entered the palace and made their way toward the Queen's study chambers. 

"So I've heard that you are quite the swordsman. That's quite unusual for someone who is not a soldier." Allen inquired casually.

"It was not out of a lack of desire or a sense of duty that I did not end up a soldier. I trained extensively for many years in preparation for the day I could enlist in the King's guard. But my father had other plans. An architect by profession he insisted I follow after him and continue the family tradition. He sent me off to study in Freid, a land noted for its piety and scholarship but not necessarily its military prowess." The minister explained.

"But their military is far from inept." Allen countered.

"True, and the thought of joining the military in Freid did cross my mind but I could not see myself serving any other king other than the one who bore the Crest of Fanelia. So I waited, in hopes of having an opportunity once my studies were complete but again my father intervened and had me commissioned to work under the Stonewell Group during the construction of the Grand Canals in Daedalus." The minister added.

"You worked on that? That was a massive undertaking. Didn't that project take over twelve years to complete?" The knight asked with shock and admiration.

"Over fifteen years actually. And during that entire time I continued to train as a swordsman. It was coming to a completion when the Zaibach Empire attacked Fanelia. Needless to say I left immediately to see if I could be of any aid to my family and my country. I arrived in Fanelia to find my family dead and my country destroyed. And with Lord Van on the run, there was no way I could offer my assistance to him in his battle against the Zaibach army. When Zaibach was defeated and Lord Van returned home, I offered my services as a swordsman but my King is both prudent and wise. He felt I could better serve Fanelia as its Minister of the Interior and put my many years of experience in construction and development to good use." He smiled.

"And a wise decision it was. From what I am told, you are largely responsible for the swift reconstruction of Fanelia. Lord Van is truly fortunate to have someone of your knowledge and experience as one of his ministers." Allen complemented. 

"You are too kind Allen. In reality, it is the heart of my King that made the rebuilding of Fanelia Castle possible. Never in all my travels have I ever met anyone so deeply passionate. Whether it be of his homeland or the woman he loves." The minister smiled.

"Indeed." Allen gave a knowing laugh. "I felt that passion first hand in our last battle during the tournament. My hand still aches when I wield my sword for more then an hour at a time." The young knight looked down at his hand as he flexed it several times before turning his attention back toward the minister. "So do you still train?" Allen inquired pointing to the minister's sword.

"Everyday." The burly man smiled. "In fact, I would be honored if you would allow me to test my steel against a master swordsman such as yourself, Allen."

"The honor would be all mine, Baschan. Perhaps the day after next, when you've had an opportunity to address the issues that bring you to Asturia at this time." Offered the young knight.

"I shall be looking forward to it." Smiled the older man. 

Approaching one of the two guards that stood watch in front of the queen's study chambers, Allen informed him. "Please notify her Majesty that Sir Baschan, Minister of the Interior from Kingdom of Fanelia is here and requests an audience."

The guard nodded his understanding and proceeded to enter the queen's study. A moment later he came back out and gestured toward the open door. "The Queen will see you now Sir Baschan."

The minister nodded then turned toward the dashing young knight. "I look forward to our next meeting Allen."

"As do I Baschan." He shook the older man's hand then returned to his duties as the gentleman entered the queen's chambers.

"Your Majesty." The minister approached the Queen of Asturia and bowed down on one knee accepting the queen's hand as she extended it toward him. "It is a great honor to meet the monarch whom my King holds in such high regard." Receiving her hand, he kissed the ring on her index finger, which served as the symbol of her position as Ruler of all of Asturia. 

"Thank you Minister Baschan. I too am greatly pleased to finally have the opportunity to meet the man that made the Grand Canals of Daedalus a reality." Millerna countered.

Rising to his feet, the gentleman smiled. "I was but one of many who worked on that project your Majesty, but I thank you none the less."

Walking over to her large, ornate, hardwood desk, the queen gestured for the minister to take a seat across from her. Sitting she asked. "So what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Rising from his seat, Baschan pulled out a sealed envelope from his breast pocket and reached over the desk to hand it to the queen. "Before I commence my story, I was instructed by Lord Van to present this personal message."

The queen accepted the letter and carefully broke the seal, pulling out the letter from within. Unfolding it, she turned slightly so that the light from the windows behind her could illuminate the parchment.

**__**

My Dearest Millerna,

It is my fondest hope that this letter finds you well and that you have adjusted easily to your new roll as Queen. I wish the things I am about to inform you were of a more pleasant nature but unfortunately, the fates have not been so kind. As you know, we have begun a rather ambitious undertaking, to build an aqueduct from the Vinsorii River through the city of Fanelia Castle and on to the Sorvonii River. As our excavations brought us to the Vinsorii Forest, we encountered a most difficult obstacle. As it turns out, the entire Forest sits upon a gigantic iron ore deposit that rests but five cubits below the surface of the ground and continues for at least another ten cubits, possibly more. 

"Oh my." The Queen gasped.

**__**

In addition to this, we found that the Fanela trees that form the majority of the forest are well rooted in the ore. It does appear that it is the ore that gives these trees their unusual strength and durability. Without it, I suspect that they would be just like any other tree. 

"Oh my." The Queen repeated.

**__**

I extend my deepest apologies Millerna. I was so very proud of myself for coming up with such a gift but now, it turns out I gave you nothing special at all. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me of my vanity. Perhaps someday, I will be able to provide you with an appropriate gift. 

"Oh Van." She smiled as she shook her head.

**__**

I have sent my ministers and chief captains to the kingdoms of Gaea in a quest to find technologies that may help us overcome this obstacle and complete our project. To this end I have sent Sir Baschan, upon his request to you. I ask that you allow him to present our dilemma to your chief engineers in hopes of coming up with a viable solution.

I wish I could have come myself but a very special guest required my attention and my assistance. Hitomi sends her love as does Merle and of course I send you all my love. I thank you Millerna and I promise I will make amends someday.

Your Humble Servant,

Van

"Oh Van. Don't you know you have nothing to apologize for." She smiled as she folded the letter, placed it back in its envelope and carefully placed it in the top drawer of her desk. 

"Lord Van instructed my to inform you that we shall pay any cost for the use of your engineers, your Majesty. Price is no object." The minister bowed his head.

The queen gave a soft chuckle. "The only payment I require is an invitation to the opening ceremony for the completed aqueduct." Millerna smiled. "I shall arrange for you to meet with our chief engineers promptly tomorrow morning, but for now, I am sure you must be tired after your long journey Sir Baschan." She rang a bell and one of the guards entered the room. "Please, escort the Minister to his quarters so he may freshen up and rest." Turning back toward the minister, she continued. "Would you be so kind as to company me at dinner tonight Minister."

"It would be my pleasure, your Majesty." The tall man rose to his feet and bowed low. "Till this evening then."

"Yes, this evening." The queen smiled and nodded her head. 

With that the minister walked out of the room, escorted by the queen's guard to his quarters.

A few moments later, the queen rang the bell again and the other guard entered the room. "Yes your Majesty?"

"Summon Sir Allen and Sir Guy to my study. I have a task for them." She instructed.

"Yes, your Majesty." The guard bowed low then turned and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

--------

As Sir Beckett was escorted through the Prime Minister's estate of the Republic of Basram, a sense of anger and frustration began to grab hold of the former Cesarean Colonel. The strong military presents within the estate simply served to remind Beckett of the treachery of the Basram Army and the General that lead the attack. Entering the executive chambers of the Prime Minister, he immediately spotted the one person he hated above all others, standing off to the right along with several other generals and aids. 

Approaching the large desk where the Prime Minister sat, Beckett bowed and said. "Prime Minister, I thank you for receiving me so quickly. It is an honor to be in your presence."

"Minister Beckett, I must say it is a bit of a surprise that you of all of Fanelia's ministers would be the one to come to our country. May I ask, why did the young King send you?" The tall, lean man behind the desk asked.

"It was my request that I be dispatched to your country, Prime Minister. His Majesty, Lord Van was kind enough to honor my request." The Minister of Defense for Fanelia bowed.

"I see. And what purpose have you come for? My agents tell me the young King has sent his ministers and captains to all parts of Gaea. What is it he seeks?" The head of Basram's government asked.

"As the Prime Minister may already know. His Majesty, King Van has taken on an ambitious undertaking, to build an aqueduct from the Vinsorii River, through the capital of Fanelia, to the Sorvonii River. Unfortunately, we have run into an obstacle." The Minister explained.

"Obstacle? What sort of obstacle?" The older man asked.

"It appears that the entire Vinsorii Forest rests upon a large iron ore deposit. To try and dig out the path for the aqueduct through this ore deposit would require years of work and countless man-hours. I have come to humbly request the aid of Basram's engineers in trying to resolve this dilemma." Beckett bowed.

"And to what end?" The large, round general spouted. "What advantage is there to us in assisting a backwards country such as Fanelia?" 

Gritting his teeth, the minister continued. "We would provide adequate payment for services rendered, of course." 

Looking from the minister to his general then back to the minister, the Prime Minister narrowed his lips and leaned forward on his desk. "Minister Beckett, we will consider your request and inform you of our decision within the fortnight, but I cannot help but sense you have another reason for being here. A more… personal reason?" 

Letting out a deep breath, the minister straightened his posture and spoke. "Prime Minister, it is my understanding that Basram still allows the custom of dueling, is this correct?"

"Yes Minister, why do you ask?" The older man narrowed his eyes even more.

Turning toward the general, he walked over to him. Removing his glove, Beckett struck the portly man across the face with it. "I challenge you General to a duel with swords."

Shocked by the minister's actions the general's eye grew wide and his nostrils flared in anger. "How dare you strike me so? I shall have you executed at once. Guards, seize him!" 

Before the guards could take a step, the Prime Minister stood and yelled. "Halt!" Then turning toward his Chief Military Officer, he continued. "General, the Minister was well within his rights to challenge you. Now the choice is yours. Do you except his challenge … or not?" 

Sweat began to drip down the round man's forehead. "What reason do you have to challenge me Sir? What have I ever done to you?"

"It is not what you did just to me but what you did to all of the alliance against the Zaibach Empire. During the war, I was a colonel in the Cesarean Army. We suffered grievously because of your impatience. Then you turned your soldiers against us in the midst of the battle. Long have I waited for this day General, long have I prayed that I would someday be given the opportunity to avenge my fallen comrades. Those who died by your hand." Beckett glared at the portly officer.

"How dare you? It was war. Many tragedies happen during war." The General countered.

"I do not hold the same rage against Zaibach because we came to fight them. But you were supposed to be our ally. And you used your own weapon against us. You sir are a coward and before the day is done you shall taste the bitterness of my steel." Beckett glared.

"Why you!" The General reached for his sword but the Prime Minister called out. 

"Restrain him!" 

And the other generals around him grabbed hold of him.

"General Dowfin, can I assume you accept the Minister's challenge?" He asked.

"Yes! I shall drive him through." The angry general boasted.

"Very well, the duel shall take place in the courtyard, tonight at seven." Turning his attention to the minister from Fanelia, he continued, "Minister Beckett, I suggest you retire to your chambers to rest before the duel. I shall speak with you later."

"Very well, Prime Minister." Beckett bowed. "I thank you for allowing me to stay at your estate and I apologize for my outburst." Then he turned and exited the Prime Minister's chambers.

A few moments later the General approached the Prime Minister. "You planned this. You planned this all along, didn't you?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I have but just met the minister myself. I had no idea something like this might happen. Besides, it was your choice to accept his challenge. You could have turned him down if you so desired." The ruler of Basram countered.

"And accept the humiliation of such an act? Never!" The General countered.

"Well then General Dowfin, might I suggest you go and brush up on your swordsmanship before tonight." The Prime Minister said with a measure of mirth in his tone. 

"RRRRAAAHHH!!" The general blustered as he stormed out of the Executive Chambers followed by several other generals and lower ranking officers. 

The Prime Minister's chief advisor walked over to him and whispered. "Do you think the King of Fanelia actually planned this?"

The tall, lean man pondered the question for a moment before replying. "I don't know. But either way, my opinion of him has gone up considerably. I just hope Sir Beckett is up to the challenge."

"You don't think the Minister of Defense would actually have any difficulty dispatching that fat cow, do you?" The advisor inquired.

"In a fair fight, no but I don't expect the General to fight fair." The Prime Minister smiled. "Cancel my 3 o'clock. I wish to speak with Sir Beckett at that time."

"Very well Prime Minister." The advisor bowed then exited the room along with the rest of the staff.

Sitting back down in his oversized chair, he leaned back and placed his feet up on his desk. "Thank you Van Fanel. You may have unwittingly saved my country." He smiled to himself.

-----

"My goodness, I've never seen so many monks in my life." Captain Cid observed as he and Captain Leopold were escorted to the palace of the Prince of Freid. 

"Silence you fool." Leopold scolded him quietly. "This isn't Fanelia. Not all kingdoms are as lax about palace protocol as Lord Van is. Saying a wrong word could land us both in the dungeon."

"Right." The slightly older captain nodded, making sure to stay in step with his companion.

Entering the Lord's Main Hall, they drew near and kneeled down, bowing to the floor in respect of the ruler of Freid. 

"Prince Chid, thank you for receiving us, your humble servants. We come from Fanelia with a message and request for your assistance from our King, Lord Van." Leopold said clearly and distinctly as he pulled out the sealed message from his breast pocket and handed it to the steward who had approached him. 

The steward took the letter and presented it to the young prince. 

Chid took the letter and inspected the seal. Recognizing it to be the Royal Seal of Fanelia, the prince smiled and opened the letter carefully so as not to damage the seal too much. Pulling out he letter, he read it all the way through. After a few minutes he placed the letter back in the envelope and addressed his guests.

"Captain Cid, Captain Leopold, it is an honor to have two distinguished guests from Fanelia here in Freid. I will see to it that the chief engineers and architects from our Institution are made available at your disposal. All I ask in return is a demonstration of your swordsmanship. I witnessed a most amazing spectacle at my aunt's coronation almost two months ago and I would be so grateful if you would demonstrate your prowess with the blade for me." The prince smiled.

The two captains looked at each other in mild surprise, then Leopold turned and addressed the prince. "Your Majesty, while it would be our honor to exhibit our swordsmanship for you, I'm afraid we do not come close to the abilities of our King. I'm afraid you may be gravely disappointed." He bowed once again.

"Nonsense." The prince laughed. "King Van assures me in his letter that you two are the finest swordsman in his army. I'm sure the King would not lie about a thing like that. But enough talk of fighting for now. Your journey was great. I'm sure you both must be very tired." Clapping his hands, the young prince summoned two servants. "They will show you to your quarters. Rest and later tonight you will dine with me and tell me of my dear friend, the King of Fanelia and the Lady Hitomi." Chid smile.

"As you wish my Lord." The two captains said in unison. Then they rose and followed the servants to their chambers.

Having walked several minutes in silence, Cid finally turned toward Leopold and said. "What sort of demonstration do you think the Prince wants to see?"

The former noble shrugged, "I'm not sure but if I had to guess, I'd say probably an exhibition under Asturian contest rules. That is how Lord Van and Sir Allen of Asturia fought. I would suspect Prince Chid would want to see us compete using the same rules."

"Which are?" Chid asked.

"Weren't you paying attention when Sir Charson gave an account of Lord Van's match? Oh, of course not. You were too busy to be bothered with such things. What was it you were doing again? Sneaking a look in the maids bath chamber." 

"I wasn't sneaking a look. I was asked to deliver a message to Sophia and it just so happened to take me past their bath chamber. How was I supposed to know they would all be coming out at that time?" Cid frowned.

"That's not what I heard. I heard you were caught peering through a small crack in the wall. I heard they found you with your pants down and your… kuuuhmmm … shall we say, sword up." The young captain gave a laugh.

"Now that is an out and out lie!" Cid yelled, red-faced and angry. 

"Easy my friend. I didn't say I believed it, especially considering the source." Leopold chuckled.

"So who is the blasphemer who would soil my name?" Cid insisted.

"None other than our commander, Sir Beckett." He laughed. 

"That…. He is always saying things about me." Cid fumed.

"He is always saying things about everyone. I think it's his way of relieving stress." The fair-haired captain replied.

"Well, it doesn't work." The stouter man smoldered.

"I didn't say your stress. But it did provide a fair amount of amusement for the other captains and myself." Leopold smiled.

"You know I have to kill you now. You and the other captains." Cid said coldly.

"Oh, lighten up man and let us enjoy the hospitality of the Prince of Freid. I understand that the roasted lamb in this country is to die for." The gallant young captain said as he gave a good-natured slap to his friend's back.

Cid gave him a crooked half-smile as he said to himself. _'I'll show you how to lighten up when I humiliate you during our exhibition.'_

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry and Sorry. Sorry it took me so long to update and sorry there is no Hitomi or Van in this one. I had wanted to slip this chapter in the middle of month of Hitomi's summer practices but I ended up covering that all in one chapter. If you're wondering about the timeline and when these events take place in the story. I'd say they each occur around a week after Hitomi had left Fanelia. Each within a few days of each other. 

I'd really like to thank everyone for your wonderful comments and reviews of my last chapter. I was so very worried about introducing a character from another anime into this story. I've done it in other stories without any problems but since I hadn't done it here yet, I wasn't sure how it would be received. I'm glad either you liked it or were unfamiliar with the other anime so it didn't really affect your reading of the chapter anyway. Don't expect to see or hear from Akane again. I have to admit, I was just finishing up my first Ranma/Akane fanfic and was really suffering from Akane on the brain when I wrote that. :P 

I'm sad to see that some of my regular readers/reviewer haven't left a review in a while. I know some of them have become very busy with school and all. I just miss them is all L But I'm glad to see so many new readers have taken up my story. I'm so glad you enjoy it and I hope not to ever disappoint. 

I love you all and I wish you all a healthy and happy holiday season. 

A. Amishi

PS: Sorry again for taking so long to post but I also had problems with my computer and my internet connection for almost a whole week. But I'm back up now and I hope to post again much sooner. ^_^


	75. Chapter 75

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is love, isn't it?

Chapter 75

Fanelia Castle

---

Van lay staring up at his ceiling, just as he had each night for the past two weeks. This night, he hadn't been able to sleep even for a few minutes. His mind was consumed with thoughts of the young woman he so desperately loved. As daybreak began to chase away the darkness that covered the forest behind the castle, he slowly sat up on his bed. As he rose, his gaze shifted from the ceiling to the wall across from his bed. There hung a painting of his mother and father that had previously hung in their room. He stared at it for several long minutes, studying the images of his parents. The painting had been made long before he was born, during their first year of marriage. In it his father looks so young and handsome, many years older than Van, but still quite young. His mother looks so very beautiful and refined. 

"Did you love mother so very much that you couldn't bare ever being apart from her father? Did she occupy every moment of your thoughts, both when you were awake and even when you were asleep? How can I manage to rule a kingdom when she is all I can think of? She fills my heart, my very soul. I thought I'd learned how to cope. I thought I could bare our separation, but I can't. Each day it just gets worse and worse. I wish she was here with me right now, but I know she has responsibilities back in her world. I'd hoped she would at least try to contact me, but she hasn't and I've been unable to contact her." Looking down at himself, he sighed. "I didn't even remember to change out of my clothes… again." 

Slowly, he swung his feet off the bed and pulled his boots on, then walked out the door and down the hall.

Carefully, he opened the door to Hitomi's chambers. Van walked into the dark room and immediately made his way to the large bay window. Undoing the latch, he opened the windows all the way allowing the early morning sunlight to pour into the room. Looking out over his city he wondered, _'What did you feel each time you looked out this window Hitomi? Did it make you happy to be here? Did it make you miss your own world, your own city?'_

He sighed, and turned around and walked over to the bed. Sitting on the side of it, he looked down at the vacant pillow and mattress. _'It seems like just yesterday Hitomi laid down to sleep here after returning to me the last time.'_ In his mind's eye he could picture her as if she lay motionless on the bed. As clear as day he saw her, her gentle, peaceful face resting on the pillow and her short sandy-colored hair framing her delicate features. He could see her small hands resting in his; her slender but strong body resting on its side; her ribs and torso rising and falling ever so slightly with every breath she took. Casting his eyes further down the length of the bed, he could see her long trim legs resting one upon the other with only a slight bend at the knees and her small, delicate looking feet. He smiled. "You have such cute little feet Hitomi."

Gradually, Van rose from the bed, walking around it as he headed toward the dresser. Running his hand across the top of it, he looked at the few items she left behind, strange looking items that he didn't recognize. He picked a small plastic oblong container with a translucent cover. Pulling the cover off, he looked at the clear gelatin-like substance that was inside. He held it under his nose and gave it a whiff. 

"Hmm, smells nice." He ran his index finger over it. "Funny, it's firm yet soft at the same time." He looked at his finger seeing that a small amount of the substance had rubbed off on it. Rubbing his index finger against his thumb, he noticed how the moist substance seemed to evaporate almost instantly, leaving his finger and thumb feeling very dry. "Hmm." Placing the cover back on, he set it back on the dresser. He continued down the length of the dresser, then walked over toward Hitomi's small vanity. Pulling out the chair, he sat down and rested his elbows on it, laying his chin in his hands. He looked into the mirror as if waiting for a secretly stored image of Hitomi to reveal itself to him, but all he saw was his own reflection. Looking down, he spotted the girl's hairbrush along with a few other items, but his attention was focused on the brush. For some reason unknown even to him, he could not take his eyes off the object. Then it occurred to him. He reached down and picked up the brush. Holding it close he saw one, then another. With his other hand, he began to pull from between the bristles of the brush strands of Hitomi's fine, sandy-brown hair. In all, he found twenty-four. He held them in his hand as if he had just found the world's most valuable treasure. In the recesses of his mind, a memory returned to him. A memory from a long time ago when he was still but a child and his parents were still alive. For reasons he could not remember, his parents had to go away to a neighboring kingdom. The thought of being without his mother for a prolong length of time pained the young boy, but before they left, his mother gave him a small gift.

**__**

"Here Van." She carefully tied what looked like a small braided string around his wrist.

"What is this mother?" The young prince asked.

"This is a bracelet I made from strands of my hair. I'm giving this to you to remind you that no matter where I go, I'm always close to you." Then she gently raised his hand to his chest. "And close to your heart." She smiled.

The boy looked down at his mother's gift and smiled. Throwing his arms around her neck, he held her tight and said, "Thank you mother. I'll keep it always."

The image faded and the recollection of how the bracelet frayed and broke off many years ago reminded him that nothing lasts forever, but the feeling of warmth and comfort created by that memory told him what he should do now. 

Slowly, he set the brush back down and began lining up the strands evenly across his hand. Once he had them all lined up, he rolled them together and tied them together at one end. Then he separated them in thirds and began braiding them together. It was slow, meticulous work, but after a little over two hours Van completed his task. He tied the end off, then tied the two ends together. Looking up from his handiwork, he glanced over the table and saw a very small pair of scissors. Picking them up, he snipped off the loose hair at the ends then set the scissors down and slid the ring he just made onto his middle finger. Looking at it brought a smile to his face for the first time since his true love returned to her home world. As he got up from the chair and took one last look around the room, he said. "I'll be waiting for you, Hitomi." Then he walked out the door. Just as he turned down the hall a maid came walking up. 

"Yes, is there something you need?" The young king asked.

Bowing deeply, the young maid replied. "No, your Majesty. I am simply here to tend to the Lady Hitomi's room."

"Really? I don't recall giving such instructions." He questioned, though now that he thought about it, it seemed to make perfect sense.

"No your Majesty. Miss Merle instructed us to do so on a daily basis, so as to keep the room ready whenever the Lady Hitomi may return." She explained. "Does my Lord wish me to stop this practice?"

"No, no, not at all. Miss Merle did well in instructing you so. Please, go right ahead." He smiled, and then walked on by, certain that today was going to be a good day.

~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry for the long delay in posting a new chapter. It would have been even longer, but in order to get something updated soon, I decided to return to my original format of keeping the chapters short so I could update more frequently. I have much more planned for the next chapter but that would have taken much longer to write and with as many requests as I've received asking for another update, I decided this approach was best. I hope you enjoyed this look into the heart of the king. And just in case you missed it, this takes place only two weeks after Hitomi left, so she is still in the middle of her summer track practices. If all goes well, I'll be posting another chapter in a day or two. It may be a bit longer than this one but not much. 

As always, I want to thank everyone who took the time to review my last chapter. I felt I was taking a risk not having either Van or Hitomi in it but I felt as if it was a risk worth taking. From your reviews, I believe most of you agree with me. The duels will be revisited so plenty of action will be coming soon but not in the next chapter. The next chapter will pretty much pick up where this one leaves off. 

Again, thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I love you all so very much. Thank you, thank you, thank you. ^_^

Oh, and I'd like to extend a very special thank you to my new beta-reader, Janice. Thank you so much Janice for all you help: your corrections, your suggestions, and your support. Thank you. ^_^

A. Amishi


	76. Chapter 76

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is love, isn't it?

Chapter 76

Fanelia Castle

---

As the king of Fanelia entered the courtyard, one of his sergeants approached him. 

"Your Majesty." He bowed. "The men and I were wondering… if it would meet with your Majesty's approval, of course…" He hesitated, his body betraying any sense of confidence the young soldier tried to present. 

"Out with it already. Don't take all day." The young king snapped.

"Well, your Majesty," The soldier bowed again. "You see, the components for our new guymelefs arrived from Asturia yesterday. And the men and I were wondering if we might take this time to work on them… rather than… well rather than…"

The king cut him off. "Rather than your training."

"Yes, your Majesty." He bowed once again.

The king's stern expression softened somewhat as he looked over at the guymelef holding bays which had remained empty since the Zaibach attack. A half smile crossed his face as he turned his attention back toward his sergeant. "I suppose missing only one day of training won't hurt anyone too much as long as you use your time effectively working on the new guymelefs, and you'll all be ready to work doubly hard tomorrow."

The sergeant smiled widely and bowed deeply. "Yes sire, as you say my Lord." He bowed a second time, even lower than the first.

"I do ask for one thing. Send one of the men down to the stables. I wish to go for a ride this morning." The king informed him.

"Yes my Lord, I'll see to it myself." The soldier said very enthusiastically. Then he turned and went over to the other men to relay the good news. They cheered happily then gave a cheer for their king.

Arriving down at the stables, Van found his stallion saddled and ready to go. He mounted his horse and turned him about, informing the stable hand that he would be back by midday, then he rode off.

He rode along the path leading to the harbor, enjoying the scenery and wondering, _'Hitomi, in all the times you ran this way, did you ever take the time to just enjoy the view along this path? I'm sure you did. Yes, I'm certain you did.'_ He smiled to himself as he rode.

As he came to the clearing, he noticed someone. Riding closer, he quickly realized that it was Merle, running on the track he had built for Hitomi. He approached slowly and quietly not wanting to disturb his childhood friend as she ran. 

Hearing one of the harbor man who was sitting behind the timekeeper's table yell, "GO," Van paid close attention as the catgirl raced down the length of the track on all fours. Watching her expression as she ran past him, the young king saw the determination and focus with which Merle ran with. 

"She looks so much like Hitomi. The way she's totally focused on her goal." He whispered to himself. Seeing her cross the finish line, Van looked back over at the timekeeper's table and saw the stop clock show a time of 13.36 seconds. He smiled then looked back over at the catgirl who had slowed down and was now walking back to the starting line. 

The harbor man called out. "Thirteen point thirty six seconds! Congratulations Miss Merle, that is your best time yet!"

"Thanks!" She waived back with a smile, then whispered to herself. "But not even close to Hitomi's time." She continued to breathe deeply, looking down at the starting line. As her breathing returned to normal, Merle looked down the length of the track and quickly spotted the man she loved. "Lord Van!" She called out with a smile as she ran over to him. Drawing close to him, she leapt into his arms and licked his face. "I'm so glad to see you Lord Van." She smiled.

"Easy Merle, it's not like you haven't seen me in days." He countered, instinctively wrapping his arms around her and holding her close as she continued to lick his face.

"But it has been days Lord Van. Four days to be precise, since I've seen you. You've made yourself so scarce, half the time no one even knows where you are or where you've been." She informed him, resting her cheek against his chest. "I've been so worried about you Lord Van, so very worried." Her tone grew serious and sad. "So very worried."

"Has it really been that long?" Van's expression grew just as serious. "I'm sorry Merle, I had no idea." Slowly, he allowed himself to sit down on the side of the track. 

Feeling him do so, Merle unwrapped herself from him and kneeled down next to him. "Oh Lord Van, there's no reason to apologize, I'm just glad to see you smiling again." She gave him a soft smile that expressed both her concern for him and her joy at seeing him again. 

Van ran his hand gently across the catgirl's cheek. "Oh Merle, but I am sorry… for making you worry so. But I'm doing better now."

Feeling something odd run across her cheek, Merle looked down and took her king's hand. "Lord Van, did you make this?"

The young king nodded.

"From Hitomi's hair? From her hairbrush, of course." She smiled.

"I know it must seem silly…" He started to say, blushing just slightly.

"No, no, it's not silly, not at all. It's just like what your mother did for you all those years ago before she went on that journey. Where did she and your father go again? I can't seem to remember." She wiped a joyful tear from her eye. 

Van chuckled softly, "To tell you that truth, I don't remember either, but I remembered the bracelet she made me. It warmed my heart each time I looked at it; just knowing I had it. It was all I needed to know she was always with me and would soon return." Looking down at the braided ring on his finger, he continued. "I guess I'm just hoping this will make me feel the same way about Hitomi."

"I'm sure it will Lord Van." Merle clasped her hand over his and smiled up at him. "In fact, I'm certain of it." 

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Van asked, "So what exactly are you doing here Merle?"

"Oh, well, I promised Hitomi I'd keep practicing so I could be a better training partner for her. My times are improving but I'm still not as fast as Hitomi is. I guess I have lots more training to do." She explained.

Just then the harbor man came over and respectfully interrupted. Bowing to his king, he said, "Pardon the intrusion, my Lord."

"Not at all." Van nodded.

Turning his attention toward the catgirl, he continued. "Miss Merle, I'm afraid I will not be able to assist you any longer. My foreman is signaling me to return to my duties. I do apologize." 

"That's all right. Thanks for all your help." She smiled and waved at him as he turned to leave. Turning toward her king she asked. "Lord Van, do you think you can operate the timer for me?" She clasped her hands together and looked up at him with her pouty big eyes.

Van laughed as he ruffled her hair. "Sure Merle, I'd be happy to." With that, they both stood up and walked over to their respective stations. 

"Are you ready!" Van called out to Merle.

She nodded her head then waved her hand over her head before getting down into the starting block.

"SET!" He held his hand just above the start button.

"GO!" And in that same instant, Van pressed the start button and Merle launched herself out of the starting block.

~~~~~~~~~~  


AN: Whew, this is the first time I've finished two chapters of this story in one week in quite some time. ^_^

I hope you enjoyed this little look at life without Hitomi in Fanelia. The focus will go back to the Ministers and Captains in the next few chapters, then back to Hitomi and Van. 

Thanks for the reviews on my last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one just as much. It will take me a little longer to get the next chapter out, but hopefully still less then a week. 

Thank you all again for all your support and a very special thank you to my new beta-reader, Janice. ^_^

A. Amishi


	77. Chapter 77

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is love, Isn't it?

Chapter 77

The knight's training hall behind the courtyard of the Queen's Palace in Palas

---

Drawing his sword, the handsome young knight assumed an attack posture but held his ground, waiting to see what his opponent would do first.

The older, taller man drew his sword as well, setting his right leg back. He clasped the handle of the sword with both hands, his right hand on top, grasping the hilt firmly but loosely and positioning it close to his body.

Recognizing this as a classic defensive posture, the knight smiled. "Allowing your opponent to attack first in order to read and study his attack so you can counter it. A very smart way to start, Lord Baschan."

"Thank you Sir Allen, but when fighting a knight of your reputation, I don't feel I have any other choice." The Fanelian Minister replied.

"Very well then," The knight tightened his grip on his sword and said as he charged, "let's begin!" Allen began with a thrust toward Baschan's heart. The minister countered by sidestepping to his left while blocking the knight's thrust to the right, then quickly slashed diagonally across Allen's body. The gallant knight drew his blade back quickly to block the minister's attack. Planting his right foot firmly on the floor, he stepped toward the larger man and forced his blade back then continued to attack with a series of slashes, each aimed at a vital part of the body. Baschan worked quickly to block each of Allen's attacks while backing away, always moving slightly to Allen's left.

Seeing his opportunity, the older man stepped into Allen's next attack, blocking it then countering with an attack to the knight's left side. The Asturian managed to react just in time to bring his sword back to block the attack, but just barely, as the point of Baschan's blade tore through the shoulder of his shirt.

The knight back peddled quickly giving himself a safe distance from his opponent, who chose not to press the attack but rather took the opportunity to catch his breath. "Your reputation is well deserved, Lord Baschan." Allen took a deep breath and readied himself for another attack.

"You flatter me Sir Allen." The minister smiled as he assumed his defensive stance once again. "Such words from you are truly high praise indeed."

"Praise well deserved." Allen replied then charged with all his might.

Their swords clashed as each man tried to press their will upon the other. They stood toe-to-toe, steel against steel for several long and painful seconds before Allen gave way and stepped to his left, starting his attack anew. Their swords crossed again and again as they maneuvered about the training hall, trying to find a weakness in their opponent's defenses. Baschan's ability to defend against his relentless attacks continued to surprise Allen throughout the contest. But as fatigue began to take its toll on the older man, he took the offensive. Baschan charged the knight with a long series of slashing attacks that had the Asturian back on his heels, until Allen slipped in under a high attack and struck the minister across his abdomen with the blunt side of his blade. 

The point of the Fanelian's blade struck the ground as the thirty-six year old man used his sword for support. Bent over and gasping for air, the minister managed to whisper, "Your reputation as the finest swordsman in Gaea is well deserved, Sir Allen Schezar." 

Allen sheathed his sword and walked over next to the older man. "I'm afraid that title now belongs to your king but I thank you none the less." Grabbing the minister by the arm and helping him over to a nearby bench along the wall, he added. "I must say, there are but a handful of man who could match my blade as long as you just did Lord Baschan. Never have I met a man that was not a soldier who is as skilled with a blade as you. You do your family and your kingdom proud."

"I thank you, Sir Allen. You are every bit the swordsman and the gentleman Lord Van made you out to be." Taking a few deep breaths to gage his readiness, he added. "If you are so inclined, I would like to have another go at it."

"It would be my pleasure, but rest a moment longer. Believe me, I can use a moments rest as well." The knight smiled.

~~~

In the Palace of Fanelia

---

"Come on, Lord Van." Merle wined.

"I've had enough already." Van replied.

"No you haven't. Now have some more." The catgirl insisted.

"Merle, I told you I'm not all that hungry. Now, I have business to attend to." The king set his napkin aside and started to rise from his seat but the catgirl leaped up onto the table and forced him back down. "Merle!" Van's eyes went wide in shock. Never before had his childhood friend ever done anything like this.

"Lord Van, you've lost so much weight since Hitomi left. What will she say when she comes back?" She looked into his eyes with sadness and concern. 

Seeing this the young king softened his expression and slowly began to smile.

"I'll tell you what she'll say. She'll say, Merle, why weren't you taking better care of Lord Van? That's what she'll say. So you're not getting me into trouble just because you're lovesick. Now eat!" She frowned. 

Van couldn't help but chuckle slightly, then nodded his defeat. "Okay Merle, I'll eat."

"Good." She smiled as she jumped back and laid down, resting her head in her hands with her elbows on the table, and watched him.

Sitting up, Van picked up his fork, scooped up some food from his plate and started bringing it to his mouth, stopping momentarily to ask. "Are you just going to lie there and watch me eat?" 

"Mmm Hmm." She gave him a big toothy grin.

Laughing silently, the young king shook his head then placed the food in his mouth. "Mmmm, good." He said facetiously, patting his stomach.

"Keep eating." Merle demanded.

Again Van laughed to himself grinning widely and shaking his head, but doing as his childhood friend instructed. "Mmmm… Mmm" He continued to eat.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: One battle down and two more to go. I know that wasn't much of a fight but they were just training and are on good terms and all. Hope you liked the little addition with Van and Merle. I was thinking of doing the same thing with Hitomi, but the events that are currently taking place actually occurred while Hitomi was still in the middle of her summer track practices. So that would be going back in time from where we left her last. But fear not, she will be making an appearance again after a couple more chapters. 

Thank you for all your wonderful and supportive reviews and comments. And a special thank you to you new readers out there who've only recently started following my story. I'm glad you've decided to start reading my story and I hope you'll stick with it. I'm sure you'll enjoy the ride. ^_^

Again, I'd like to thank my wonderful new beta-reader, Janice, who has been doing a wonderful job for me, especially when it came to making the battle scene both exciting and realistic. Thank you so very much Janice. ^_^

A. Amishi


	78. Chapter 78

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 78

In the tournament hall, in the capital center of Basram

* * *

  


As his lieutenant and aid secured the minister's gloves and handed him his sword, he whispered. "Remember what the Prime Minister said, stay in the middle of the arena and avoid even a scratch from the General's sword."

The minister nodded, then said in all seriousness. "If… if I fail to win the day, extend my deepest regrets to King Van and tell him that I recommend Captain Leopold as my replacement. He is still young, but he will make a great officer and commander someday, of this I am certain; and there is no one more loyal to his Majesty than Leopold. Do you understand?"

Sadly, the lieutenant nodded.

"Good." The minister took several deep breaths. "Well, I suppose we'll find out now if the Prime Minister is a true ally or enemy." He drew his sword and handed the sheath back to his lieutenant, then turned and walked boldly toward the center of the arena.

Two days earlier

* * *

  


Hearing the wrap on the door, Minister Beckett looked up from sharpening his sword and responded, "Enter."

The door opened and swiftly closed behind the tall middle-aged gentleman.

"Prime Minister." Beckett set his sword down on the bed as he stood and bowed respectfully.

"I see you've wasted no time in preparing for your duel against General Dowfin. That's good. The General is not one to be taken lightly."

Beckett struggled to keep from laughing out loud, while the Prime Minister made no effort to conceal his amusement with the pun he made.

"Yes, I suppose it was a poor choice of words but nevertheless, the General is a very dangerous man and is not above cheating in order to get what he wants." The Prime Minister warned.

"I'll try to remember that, Sir." Beckett gestured toward the chairs by the fireplace.

"You don't seem surprised that I would be willing to share such information with a foreigner seeking to kill one of my generals." He stated as he made his way over to the fireplace.

Beckett smiled knowingly as he turned around and sheathed his sword, then walked over to the desk where his luggage was placed. Reaching inside one of the bags, he pulled out a metal flask and two small metal cups. "May I interest you in a drink, Prime Minister?" He asked as he opened the flask.

"By all means." The older man replied as he sat in front of the fireplace.

Beckett nodded and poured the drinks, then walked over to the leader of Basram, the flask tucked under his arm, and handed him the cup. Taking a seat in the other chair next to the fireplace, Beckett took a sip, as did the Prime Minister.

"Mmm, I was expecting this to be Fanelian Ale." Falco, the Prime Minister of Basram, said with a smile.

Beckett smiled back. "This is the drink of my homeland, Cesario, rice wine. The drink of gentlemen." He held up the flask. "Would you care for more?"

"Please." The Prime Minister held out his cup.

Beckett filled his cup, then sat back and said. "I suspect that today will be the last time I will drink this wine and call it my home drink."

The Prime Minister raised a questioning brow.

"When I left my country to serve King Van of Fanelia, I did it with the full expectation of breaking all ties to my homeland and becoming in all ways a Fanelian." He finished the wine in his cup and poured himself some more. "But this burning feeling within my heart demands that I avenge not only my homeland and the men who served under me, but my family as well."

"Your family?" The older gentleman frowned.

"I had two sons that served in the Cesarian Army with me. I was as proud of them as any father could be. They were still so very young, no older then Lord Van, but so eager to serve their king and impress their father. Both were killed during the final battle; one was killed by the Basram secret weapon, and the other by three Basram Guymelefs that attacked unexpectedly. He suffered two stab wounds to the back and a blow to the back of his head." The Fanelian Minister of Defense clutched his cup tightly as he fought with all his might to keep from shedding the tears that sought escape. "My wife blamed me for their deaths and left me after the war. I can't say I blame her. If I had not glorified my military service so much while they were growing up, they may not have chosen to enlist at thirteen and may still be alive." Looking up at the Prime Minister with eyes filled with rage and regret, he continued. "But what is so bitter to accept was not that they died in battle but that they died at the hands of our ally. For sometime, I hated all of Basram, including you, Prime Minister. But my position as Minister of Defense allowed me to learn the truth. That it was General Dowfin who commissioned the development and construction of that abominable weapon. It was General Dowfin who ordered its use in the middle of the battlefield and it was General Dowfin who ordered the attack upon the alliance forces." He poured himself one last drink. "I've also learned that the General is no friend to the Republic, and that the loyalty he possesses from his troops makes a military coup very real possibility."

The Prime Minister smiled. "So, King Van sent you here knowing that the outcome of your duel with General Dowfin could influence the future of Basram for years to come. A bit presumptuous of the young king, don't you think?"

"Lord Van is an honorable man. He knows the pain I bear and is ready to suffer the consequences of my actions. In this way we are kindred spirits, he and I. It is my hope that by killing General Dowfin, an opportunity for a true and lasting alliance between Basram and Fanelia may become possible." The minister concluded.

"And if the General kills you and lives? He already believes I orchestrated this duel. If he is victorious, then a military coup is all but assured. My sources tell me that the troops loyal to the General outnumber the troops loyal to the Republic, two to one. And if a coup does occur and the General establishes himself as Dictator of Basram, then all of Gaea will be thrown back into war, and his first target will undoubtedly be Fanelia. Are you truly willing to risk an entire country, our entire world, simply to satisfy your need for vengeance?" Falco asked pointedly.

"It is my belief that if I fall and the General manages to survive, all I would be doing is accelerating the inevitable. Am I wrong Prime Minister?" Beckett set his cup and flask down on the small round table between the two men.

Falco did the same as a very serious expression crossed his face. "Actually, you are more right than you know. My sources from within the military tell me that General Dowfin has been preparing for such an action for sometime now, and his reaction in my executive chambers was just an act. He knows who you are, and he knew you were coming before I did. He plans on using this duel as the catalyst to overthrow the Republic. Minister Beckett, you can't allow this to happen. You must kill Dowfin and kill him decisively. He must not be allowed to appear a noble martyr to his troops, or civil war will undoubtedly follow. He must be exposed as the coward and butcher he truly is. Can you do this, Minister Beckett?"

Beckett rose from his chair and got down on one knee, saying. "Prime Minister, I swear, as a former Cesarian officer, as the Minister of Defense of Fanelia, on my honor and upon my very life and soul; I will defeat General Dowfin and expose him to be the man, the coward he truly is."

"Thank you Lord Beckett, you are a true friend of Basram. Now sit, there is more I must tell you about the General. As I said before, he is not one to fight fairly, and you can assume that with so much at stake here he will use every dirty trick he can."

In the tournament hall, in the capital center of Basram

* * *

  


Minister Beckett stood in the center of the hall, surrounded by Basram soldiers. They stood in a circle around him with their swords drawn, each about six cubits away from him. Just outside the circle stood General Dowfin with several of his other generals and colonels. He waited impatiently, but was fully aware that the General was making him wait on purpose in an attempt to shake the Minister's composure and cause him to get sloppy in his attack. The former Cesarian Colonel took a series of deep breaths to steady his nerves and calm his anger. When he realized the General was in no rush to begin their duel, he began to perform some fundamental sword maneuvers to keep his body and mind occupied.

After nearly thirty minutes, the General turned to his attendant, who proceeded to apply a mail vest on him, then harnessed his sword belt and sheath upon him. This task completed, one of Dowfin's Captains stepped forward and held the General's sword in both hands with a cloth between the blade of the sword and his right hand. He held it out for his commanding officer to take, saying. "Be very careful with the blade, General. Even the smallest cut will result in death in only a mater of seconds."

Dowfin smiled wickedly. "It's a shame really. That Cesarian dog doesn't deserve a swift death." Taking hold of his sword, the General advanced toward the circle formed by his men.

Two of the soldiers stepped aside, allowing the General to enter the battle arena they had formed.

Seeing his opponent approach, the Minister stopped his exercises and immediately took a defensive posture, stepping back with his left foot and drawing his blade back as he angled his body to give his opponent as small a target as possible.

The General laughed. "Come now Minister Beckett, surely we can be civil before we commence our battle." He grinned as he extended his hand to his opponent.

Beckett instantly took a more guarded stance, replying, "I have no desire to be civil with a murderer."

General Dowfin snarled, bringing his hand down and clasping his sword firmly. "You'll regret ever crossing paths with me, Fanelia." He blustered, bringing his sword up in a defensive posture as well.

To this Becket replied. "Not today. Today I represent Cesario and the Cesarian Army. Today, I avenge my homeland, my comrades, and my family." With that said, the Minister charged, releasing his rage and hatred upon his opponent with a mighty cross stroke of his blade.

Dowfin raised his sword to block the attack but the force of the blow was so great that it knocked the portly General off balance. Pressing the attack Beckett charged with a thrust aimed for the General's heart. Dowfin managed to recover just in time to bring his sword up to block the thrust, but while he saved himself from being driven through the heart, Beckett's blade still grazed over his shoulder. Sparks shot out from Dowfin's shoulder as his opponent's blade ran over the metal rings of his vest.

The General seized the opportunity and swiped his sword downward at the Minister's midsection, but the attack was slow and predictable, and the Cesarian easily sidestepped the attack while drawing his blade back and launching another attack of his own.

Out of breath and sweating profusely, General Dowfin's hands trembled noticeably as he pointed his sword at his opponent. Striking the Cesarian, even for just a scratch, was proving far more difficult than he thought it would, and if it were not for his mail vest, he would have been mortally wounded several times already, instead of just having a few bruises and minor cuts.

Ones natural instinct when seeing your opponent weathered and beaten is often to lower ones guard a bit, and Minister Beckett was no exception as he slowly circled around the general, his sword held lower then he normally held it.

__

'One swift attack, I can lob off his head in one stroke.'He told himself as a victorious grin slowly crept across his face. But suddenly a memory returned to him.

__

Two Days Earlier

* * *

  


"So what sort of villainy might I expect from the General?" Beckett asked, leaning a little closer toward the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Falco leaned forward as well, and speaking in a hushed voice, he said. "In two days, you will face off against the General in the tournament hall. An assembly of his loyalist soldiers will form a circle in the middle of the arena. Your battle will take place within that circle. The soldiers will have their swords drawn. The idea is to prevent either contestant from attempting to flee the battle. In reality, they are General Dowfin's assassins. If you get too close to any one of them, they will strike out at you without warning, even if it means stabbing you in the back."

"I see." Beckett's expression grew grim.

"In addition, the General has been known to coat the blade of his sword with poison. Not just any poison either, but with Warfarin. Death comes quite swiftly even if the wound is but a scratch. Avoid Dowfin's blade at all costs. It will mean the difference between life and death."

* * *

  


Reacting quickly, the Minister withdrew his attack, causing Dowfin to stumble forward awkwardly as he attempted to block an attack that never came. Beckett circled the general again, but his movements were purposeful and calculated this time. He knew what he wanted to do and how he planned to do it, but the former Cesarian Officer was not without a sense of mercy, even for a traitorous murderer like Dowfin. With this in mind, he spoke. "General Dowfin, I will be merciful and allow you to live if you confess your crimes against the people of Gaea and resign your commission effective immediately."

The general glared daggers at the taller man. "How dare you lay terms such as these before me? The battle is not over yet Cesarian, and I am not defeated." In a rage, the general charged, but Beckett held his ground, countering each of Dowfin's strokes. After crossing swords a dozen times, Beckett pressed in on his opponent as they stood toe to toe. Then leveraging his weight and strength, the Cesarian forced the general's sword around in a circular fashion two times.

General Dowfin let out a painful scream the second time their swords looped around. Stepping back quickly, he looked down at his boot and saw a gash across the top of it. He looked up at the end of his sword and saw blood trickling down from it. "Oh my god." He gasped.

"What's the matter, General?" Beckett threw him an inquisitive stare. "Surely that wound could not be fatal?"

"Antidote." The portly man whispered, followed by the yell. "I need the antidote!"

"Antidote for what, General?" The Cesarian asked as he circled around him, his sword still held up in a defensive posture.

"Nothing, for nothing." Dowfin yelled at his opponent as he swiped his sword at him, not even coming close to making any sort of contact.

"Could it be for the poison you coated your blade with, General?" Beckett asked knowingly.

"I don't know what you mean." The dying man replied. "Antidote!"

"There is no time for an antidote General. Warfarin works too fast. No antidote exists that can counteract it once it is in the victim's system. The only hope you have now is to admit to your crimes, so at least you can die with a clear conscience." Beckett offered.

"No." Dowfin growled. "It can't end this way. I was going to rule all of Basram, all of Gaea. It was my privilege, my right. I deserve to rule, me!" The general began to cough. "I deserve to rule. Me!" Giant beads of sweat began rolling down his face as his eyes turned blood red. "Not the coward Falco, not that blond bitch from Asturia, and especially not that brat from Fanelia." He doubled over, coughing violently.

Beckett laughed bitterly then said, "And here I thought you were just evil. I had no idea you were mad."

"Why you!" General Dowfin raised his sword high and charged clumsily one last time.

The Cesarian did not hesitate a moment as he plunged his sword into the general's chest. Blood sprayed out of Dowfin as he let out a final cry, his sword falling from his hands and hitting the ground behind him. A second later, his knees gave way and he collapsed backward.

The Basram soldiers sheathed their swords and carried the body of their fallen military leader from the tournament hall.

The Minister's lieutenant approached him quickly. "Minister Beckett, are you all right? He did not mark you, did he?"

"You needn't be concerned, I am fine." The minister reassured him. Pulling out his handkerchief, he carefully wiped the blood off the sword, then wrapped it around the middle of the blade. "Do not sheath it at this time."

"Oh?" The young lieutenant failed to understand the Minister's reasoning.

"I crossed swords with Dowfin many times. It is possible that some of the poison that coated his sword may now be on mine. Take it to the smiths and cleanse it in flame." Beckett instructed him.

"Yes sir, I shall." The lieutenant took the sword his commander extended toward him very carefully. Then he turned and exited the hall.

"Minister Beckett." A bureaucratic voice said behind him.

Turning around he saw the Prime Minister's aid and four of the Prime Minister's personal guard standing behind him. "Yes?" He asked.

"The Prime Minister recommends that you retire to his estate and he has sent his personal guards to ensure your safety." The aid stated.

Beckett bowed politely. "Please thank the Prime Minister for me." Then he followed the guards out of the building.

* * *

  


AN: Wow! That took a lot out of me. Sorry there is no Van or Hitomi in this one but this particular story line was so serious that I felt it deserved a chapter of its own. And sorry but the next chapter won't have them Hitomi again. Still have one more duel to write about. ^_^

I hope you all got the jock about the General. In case you didn't, it was in reference to his size. But I'm sure each of you did. ^_^

Again, I'd like to offer a very special thanks to my new beta-reader, Janice. You're the best Janice. I feel so lucky having a beta-reader as good as you to read over my stories. Thank you so very much. ^_^

And thank you all for reading and reviewing my story. Getting notifications throughout the day that I've gotten another review and reading your reviews just makes my day. Thank you all so very much.

A. Amishi


	79. Chapter 79

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 79

Garden behind Fanelia Castle

---

Van stood in front of the monument where his father and brother were buried. He had laid fresh flowers upon the graves and spent some time talking to his father and his mother, whom though she was not buried there, he liked to believe could still hear him.

After a time, he began to talk to his brother. Normally when he spoke with Folken, Van shared his dreams of a bright and prosperous future for Fanelia, but recently another topic had occupied his thoughts and his discussions with his brother.

"She's become a wonderful rider. I fear that perhaps she may become a better rider than me very soon." He laughed softly, trying to suppress a sad smile. "She's such a gifted athlete, and not just a fast runner either. I was thinking of perhaps teaching her how to handle a sword. Obviously not a normal sized sword but something a bit smaller, a bit lighter. Something she can handle. I'm sure she'll learn to be just as proficient with it as she is with everything else." 

He smiled, but after a short while the smile faded away as a sense of deep sadness overwhelmed him. "I wish you were here with me brother. I wish you could have lived long enough to see the man I've become. I-I think perhaps you would have been proud of me. At least I hope you would have been proud of me." He sighed pensively. "I wish you could have seen Hitomi about a moon ago. I arranged for us to have dinner aboard the Freya as it sailed around Lake Fanelia. She was so very beautiful that day. She wore a dress from her world that was, I must say, a bit too revealing, but she wore one of our mother's shawls. You know, the light blue one that mother only wore on special occasions. It complemented her dress perfectly. And remember the flower bands Merle used to make? She made one for Hitomi. It was so beautiful. She was so beautiful." A faint, joyful smile appeared on his face as he remembered that day.

"We ate and talked and even danced. Can you believe I actually danced?" The young king laughed silently. "Princess Millerna taught me some moons ago." 

Van grew very pensive as he relived the memory of that night. "I remember holding Hitomi in my arms as we danced that night. I remember the feel of the delicate fabric of her clothes under my hand, the gentle press of her body against mine, the smell of her perfume, the touch of her lips."

Van looked up to the sky and drew in a deep breath. Letting out the breath, he sighed and wiped away the tear that escaped his right eye.

"I would make her my queen this very day if she would let me." He smiled, but after a moment it faded away again as he cast his eyes to the ground in front of the monument. "But she has… obligations back on her world, back on the Mystic Moon. I promised I'd wait and I will, but she's been gone not even a full moon yet and already I miss her more than I ever imagined I could. I made a memory ring from strands of her hair, just like the bracelet mother made for me when I was a child, remember brother? It warms my heart and reminds me of Hitomi's promise to return to me. I love her, my brother. I love her so much it hurts." He lowered his head and closed his eyes.

A few moments later, he felt a tug on his arm. Opening his eyes, Van found himself staring into Merle's sad eyes. 

"Lord Van, you promised, no sad faces." She pouted.

Smiling down at her, he responded. "You're right Merle. I did promise."

Beaming with happiness, the catgirl pulled on his arm, guiding him into the forest. "Come on Lord Van, I want to show you something."

"Okay Merle, I'm coming." The king replied.

After walking about ten cubits into the forest, the young catgirl spotted them.

"There, up there." She pointed, giddy with excitement.

Van looked up and saw what must have been over 200 monarchy dragonflies hovering about the sky amidst the trees. "Ah!" He marveled. "I've never seen so many all together like this."

"I know." Merle giggled. "Isn't it wonderful, Lord Van?"

"Mmm." He nodded. "You should try and catch one, like you did that last time." He suggested.

"Actually, I've already caught three and set them free." She smiled innocently.

Van stared at her in total disbelief.

She stared back up at him wide-eyed and said, "It's true. I'm not lying." She blinked a few times then asked. "Would you like me to show you how, Lord Van?" She looked back up at the dragonflies "You can show Hitomi when she returns."

Van smiled at his childhood friend. "I'd like that Merle, thank you."

She smiled at him again then pulled on his arm. "Okay, well the first thing you need to do is kneel down."

Following her example, Van knelt down next to her and awaited further instructions.

"Then put your hands like this." She informed him as she put her hands together, palm side up. "Be sure to keep your hands perfectly flat. Don't curl your fingers at all."

Though uncertain of how this was supposed to help him catch a dragonfly, Van did as his longtime friend and companion instructed, duplicating her actions and staying perfectly still, just like she was. After a few minutes, he glanced over at her and asked, "So what do we do now?"

"Shhh," She whispered softly, doing her best not to move. "Now we wait until the dragonfly decides to trust us enough to land on our hands."

"Oh," Van gave a crooked smile then turned his attention back on his own hands.

After several long minutes, a dragonfly began to fly around the young king and before he knew it, it landed on the edge of his right hand. His eyes grew large in amazement at the events that were transpiring in front of him. Slowly, it began to walk across his fingertips, then it turned suddenly towards him and walked to the middle of his palm, where it stopped and gently began to flutter its wings.

Turning his head towards Merle in order to get her attention, he saw her staring down joyfully at her own hands. Stealing a glance, he saw that not one but three dragonflies had landed on her hands. 

"See Lord Van, all you have to do is be a little patient with them and they eventually come right to you." She whispered happily. "They're amazing, aren't they Lord Van?" She smiled at her king.

"Yes Merle, they really are," He smiled back and thought, "and so are you."

~~~~~

While the first couple weeks of school passed quickly enough for most of the students at Kamakura-Kita High School, for one fifteen-year old girl those first two weeks seemed to take an eternity. She kept her promise to her friend and team manager Yukari, but she wasn't at all happy about it. During the Southeastern Regional Invitational, she set the high school track community on notice by winning the girls 100 meters by 0.18 seconds over the second place finisher and by anchoring the 4x100 meter relay and moving her team from third to first in a matter of seconds. Now at the Tokyo Invitational, as evening fast approached and the lights in the Olympic Stadium illuminated the field, Hitomi sat on the grassy warm-up field, stretching out her hamstrings and her calves.

The team manager came running up to her with a big smile on her face and her clipboard in her arms. "Hitomi! Can you believe it? You're the favorite going into the finals." Her tone expressed the level of excitement she was feeling.

"Yeah Yukari. I know. I ran those preliminary heats, **_remember_**?" The young sprinter replied without looking up.

The team manager's mode changed in an instant. "You know Hitomi, I've done my best not to let your attitude bother me these past two weeks. The way you've ignored me. The way you've avoided me and even came up with excuses not to ride the train home with me. The sarcastic way you've responded to me. I put up with it because I'm your friend and because I understand how much you love and miss Van. And I know you blame me for making you promise not to see him, but come on Hitomi. You're about to make history here. In fifteen minutes, you can be the first tenth grader to ever win the 100-meter dash at the Tokyo Invitational, boys or girls. Can't we be civil even for a little while?"

Acting as if she hadn't been paying attention to anything Yukari had said, Hitomi finally stood up and dusted herself off. After a few moments she slowly turned toward the redhead and said. "Why?"

Yukari gasped in shock.

"What difference does it make? It's like you said before, we've got meets all the way through the end of October. What difference does one meet in the beginning of the season make?" With that, she walked past the shorter girl.

Clutching her clipboard to her chest, Yukari began to cry. Then she spun around and threw the clipboard to the ground. "Fine! Go then!"

Hitomi turned back in a start.

"You know how to go and come back before the meet even starts, so do it. Go see Van. Tell him how much you love him. Hold him in your arms and don't let go." The redhead forced out in a strained voice. "Just go."

Hitomi smiled for a moment, but the smile quickly faded away. "You know I can't do that."

"Why? That's what you want to do, isn't it?" The team manager asked.

"Because if I do that, I won't stand a chance at winning the race." The shorthaired girl replied.

"So? You're in love with Van. Isn't that the only thing that matters?"

The emerald-eyed teen turned her head away.

Her friend sighed and slowly stepped closer to her. "I know it hurts. I know you miss him and you want to go to him, but if this wasn't important to you, why did you bother to train so hard?"

Hitomi cast her gaze to the ground.

Placing a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder, the redhead softly spoke. "I'm sorry Hitomi. I'm sorry for making you promise. I'm sorry for being so harsh. But you've got to understand, you've got a gift, a rare and precious gift. Most people can train ten times as hard as you've trained and still not run as fast as you can. But a gift like yours comes with a cost. You have to train and train hard. You have to maintain your rhythm and your timing. And you've done it. Now's the time to reap the rewards of all your hard work, and when the season's over, you'll be able to show Van all the ribbons and medals you won. And you can thank him properly." The redhead threw her friend a wink and a smile.

Hitomi blushed, "You're so bad Yukari."

"I know." She giggled as she quickly retrieved her clipboard. "Now hurry, they just announced the girls 100-meter finals."

"Right." Hitomi jogged off toward the starting line.

Hitomi took her position in the lanes, third from the left. Under normal circumstances, she would have felt more than a little intimidated. Of the seven other runners, five were at least two years older than her and two were three years older. All of them were taller than her and had been running high school track much longer than she had. But none of that mattered to Hitomi today. Both of her preliminary times were faster than any of these girls' and after talking with Yukari, she felt looser and more confident than ever.

Standing at the starting line, she bent over and stretched her hamstrings one more time, stealing a glance over to her right. Three lanes over was her teammate and captain, Megumi Yotsuga. The older girl glanced over and smiled. Hitomi smiled back and nodded, knowing full well what was expected of her. Focusing beyond the finish line, he slowly came into view. In her minds-eye, she saw him as clear as day. Slowly a smile crept across her face as she remained fixated on the vision created by her mind. 

Operating entirely on instinct, she got down into her starting block when she heard the starter announce. "RUNNERS, TAKE YOUR MARK!" 

She coiled up her muscles and lifted her head when he said, "GET SET!"

And then the gun fired. 

****

BANG!!!

She exploded off the line and was already two steps ahead of everyone else after the first twenty meters. Her lead increased with each stride, each step of the way, drawing closer and closer toward her true love. 

All her teammates cheered hysterically as she flew past them, as did her classmates in the stands. And after she crossed the finish line and her time was displayed on the leader board, the crowd erupted in cheers. At the top of the electronic board, it showed, 

1st Kanzaki Hitomi 12:21 * New Meet Record

As Hitomi flashed past the finish line, she continued to run at top speed for about another ten meters before slowing down and finally coming to a stop in front of the object of her affections.

"Thank you Van. Thank you for everything." The image of her true love smiled at her and gave her a gentle nod. She smiled back and was about to say more when she was suddenly mobbed by her teammates.

"Hitomi!" Megumi pulled up next to her teammate, placing her arm around her shoulder. "Congratulations! You set a new meet record!" The team captain smiled ear to ear. "You're great Hitomi!" She pulled the younger girl close and pressed her forehead against hers.

Before the emerald-eyed girl could respond, Yukari threw her arms around her, nearly knocking the shorthaired girl over. Then, one after another of her other teammates jumped on her.

Later that day the celebration was repeated when Hitomi ran the anchor leg of the girl's 4x100-meter relay. Unlike at the Regional meet where she had to come from behind to win the race, here her performance during the 100-meter dash served to inspire her teammates, and each member of the relay team ran a personal best, resulting in another record breaking performance aided greatly by Hitomi's 12:19 second anchor leg.

The bus ride home was filled with joy and laughter, as the 1st place trophy was passed around to everyone. Led by the record setting performances by Hitomi Kanzaki and Amano Susumu, the rest of the team performed well enough to give their school a three point advantage over their traditional rival and nemesis, Furikan High School.

As the trophy made its way back to the front of the bus, the team coach stood up and waved his hands, signaling for everyone to quiet down. When the noise subsided, he gestured for the trophy, and with the gold-coated object in hand, he began to speak. 

"Okay, now as I'm sure you all know, there will be a rally in the assembly on Monday where each of you will be presented with your medals again and this trophy." He held it up high, causing the students to cheer. Pausing a moment to let them calm down again, he continued. "Which will be presented to the principle. But I just wanted to take the time right now to tell all of you, while I have you here alone…"

"I didn't know you cared Coach." One of the boys joked, causing the bus to erupt in laughter. 

To which the coach replied, "About everyone except you, Saotome." Causing an even louder response from the team.

"Okay, okay, settle down." The coach gestured once again for quiet and his team obliged.

"What I wanted to say was that I've never been prouder of this team then I am today. This is the best team I've ever coached, from top to bottom, in the eight years I've been here at Kamakura-Kita High School.

The team burst into cheers again.

The coach smiled from ear to ear and waved the trophy over his head.

Slowly, as the cheering stopped, he continued. "Now, none of us would be celebrating right now if it weren't for our victories in the boys and girls 100-meter dash and the 4x100 meter relay. And those victories wouldn't have happened if not for the record setting performances of Amano Susumu and Hitomi Kanzaki. Amano, Hitomi, come on up here!" He gestured for his two stars to come to the front of the bus.

With a smile, the team captain got up and started working his way to the front of the bus. He stopped a few seats up and tapped his friend and girl's track star on the shoulder.

"Come on Hitomi." He gestured with his head. 

"Huh?" The emerald-eyed girl was in her own world, her thoughts nowhere near the events transpiring on the bus.

"Come on Hitomi, the coach called us." Amano said with a light chuckle.

"Oh," She got up and followed the team captain to the front of the bus. Up until now, she had managed to block out all of the noise and fanfare that her team was engaged in, but now seeing Amano and herself being cheered by her friends and teammates, she couldn't help but blush in embarrassment. 

"Amano… Hitomi," The coach shook their hands then handed them the trophy, saying loudly for everyone to hear. "To the stars of the Kamakura-Kita High School Track Team!" He clapped. 

Without hesitation Amano lifted the trophy up high, pulling Hitomi's arm up with it. The bus exploded in cheers and applause. 

Hitomi looked all about her, seeing all the happy, cheering faces, and she was finally filled with the same rush of adrenaline that was overflowing from everyone on the bus.

"Not a bad way to start the Fall season, if I do say so myself." Yukari said to her friend who was sitting next to her on the bus. 

"I guess, but now expectations are going to be so high. What if I can't live up to those expectations?" A worried expression crossed the emerald-eyed girl's face. 

"Just do your best. It's worked for you so far." The redhead smiled then took a moment to steal a look back a few rows to see Amano finally alone. "I'll meet back up with you when we get off the bus." She winked then got up and left.

"Yukari?" Hitomi stared after her friend in confusion until she saw her take a seat next to her boyfriend. Sitting back in her seat, she sighed. "Well, at least one of us gets to spend time with her boyfriend." She whispered softly to herself.

After sitting alone for a few minutes just staring out the window of the bus, a voice asked. "Mind if I sit here?"

Turning, she gasped. "Megumi-sempai, o-of course. Please sit."

The girls' team captain smiled and sat down. "You know Hitomi, you're the star of the team now. You don't have to call me sempai, just Megumi will do."

"But you're still my senior and my captain." She bowed her head. "It wouldn't be right, being so familiar."

"That's too bad. I was hoping we could be friends." Glancing back, then forward a few rows, she continued. "Akane and I used to be best of friends, but now she only has eyes for her fiancé, and I see Yukari would rather be with Amano right now as well." She glanced over at Hitomi. "Don't get me wrong. I won't mind having a boyfriend too, but all I've ever wanted to do was run ever since I was ten." She stretched her legs out in front of her and folded her hands behind her head. "I put everything I had into my running. At my Junior High I was the best in my class but when I came here, Akane had no equal. What was really frustrating was that she wasn't just a great runner, but she was great in any sport she tried."

"And you were still able to be friends?" Hitomi asked, not hiding her surprise.

"We were teammates, of course we were friends." Megumi laughed softly. "We were rivals sure, but we always supported each other. She helped me become a better runner. And I actually got much better. So much so that I thought I'd be able to compete with her head to head during the Fall season of our junior year. But then she got in that accident. I became the number one runner by default." Glancing over at Hitomi, she continued. "Don't get me wrong, I welcomed the challenge and I worked extra hard to be the best sprinter on the team. But you came along and just blew us all way."

"I'm sorry, sempai." The shorthaired girl bowed her head again.

"Don't be, I'm not. You're a very gifted runner. And besides, we wouldn't have won the Invitational if you weren't on the team. I'm happy with my third place finish. I ran my very best and that was the best I could do. I may not have set a meet record like you did, but I did run my personal best. I can't really ask more than that, now can I?" She smiled.

"Aaa, no, I guess not." Hitomi looked at her for a moment then looked away. "Still I can't help feel like I took something away from you, sempai."

Megumi reached out and placed her hand over Hitomi's. "You haven't taken anything away from me. You've given me something."

"Huh?" Hitomi looked back up at her.

"Because of you, Harumi, Haruka and I are in the record books for the 4x100 meter relay. You really brought out the best in all of us, Hitomi. I really look forward to seeing you run the rest of the season. Don't get me wrong, I'll still try my best to beat you, but even if I can't, I'll enjoy each moment of this season." The team captain said with a smile as she sat back again.

Hitomi looked down at her lap, then up at her captain again, saying, "Thank you Megumi."

"For what?" The girl asked.

"For giving a 10th grader a chance to be in the first team and a chance to compete, and… and a chance to be your friend." 

Megumi's smile grew. "Times are changing. The Sempai system just doesn't always make sense, especially when it comes to an athlete like you, Hitomi. You truly have a gift. Do your best to make the most of it."

Hitomi smiled and looked away for a moment. "Yukari said the same thing. She said I had a precious gift, but I don't feel gifted."

"She was right. Some people can train all day long, every single day and not run as fast as you ran today. And you'll only get better as time goes on. You might be the first girl in Kamakura-Kita history to be able to earn a college scholarship in track. Wouldn't that be something?" She giggled.

"You really think so?" Hitomi stared at her wide-eyed.

"I don't see why not. As long as you can avoid injury, there's no telling how far you can go." Megumi answered.

"A college scholarship…" The 15-year old looked out the window of the bus once again, realizing that her life just got a whole lot more complicated.

"Well, you must be tired. I'll let you get some rest." Her captain said as she got up from the seat.

"Megumi…" Hitomi turned suddenly before the girl could walk away.

"Yeah Hitomi?" 

"Thanks. For being a friend, I mean." 

The older girl smiled and gave a small nod. "You're welcome." Then she turned and walked back to the place she was sitting at before, while Hitomi went back to looking out the window.

As Hitomi and Yukari sat on the train on their way home, Hitomi finally spoke up. "I'm… I'm going to communicate with Van tonight."

Yukari just looked at her friend with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"If it affects my performance at next weekends meet, I won't do it again till after the season but if it doesn't… well if it doesn't then at least I can talk to Van on a regular basis even if I can't be with him."

Yukari nodded then went back to staring straight ahead.

As they came to Hitomi's street, Yukari finally turned to her friend and said, staring down at the ground, "You know, I really hope it doesn't affect your running." Then she threw her arms around her and added. "I just want you to be happy Hitomi. Good luck." 

Then she let the taller girl go and went running down the street.

Hitomi looked after her friend for a while till she turned the corner down her street and was out of sight. Then she finished walking home. 

After being greeted by her parents and brother, having a light meal and taking a bath, she went to her room and laid down on her bed. 

"Am I really as gifted as they say I am? Or was it just the extra month of training? And what if I can really earn a track scholarship? Oh Van, how long would be willing to wait for me?" 

She sighed and slowly allowed her eyes to close.

__

'Van, Van, can you hear me? I need to see you again, even if it's only in my minds-eye. I need to talk to you. It's been so long, too long. Van, are you thinking of me this night like I'm thinking of you? Van…Van…Van…'

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry for the wait. I was originally planning on having this chapter contain the duel between Leopold and Cid but I decided that a Van/Hitomi chapter was way overdue. I hope you enjoyed it. I know this has a lot more angst then previous chapters but unfortunately that's the way it needs to be and will be for some time still. Will Hitomi be able to communicate with Van and still maintain her form? Only time will tell. 

As always, thank you so very much for all your support. Your reviews help keep me inspired. I thank you all. And a great big thanks to Janice my beta-reader. You've made my job so much easier. Thank you so very much. ^_^

A. Amishi


	80. Chapter 80

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 80

Hitomi's bedroom

---

"Van… Van… Can you hear me Van?… Are you thinking of me Van?… Van… Van…" Hitomi Kanzaki sat with her back against the headboard of her bed, her knees pulled in to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. Tears began falling from the young girl's eyes as her call turned into a desperate plea.

"Van, please answer me. I've missed you so much. I need to talk to you… I need to hear your voice again… I-I… I need you." She wept silently. "Please Van… please."

Hitomi buried her face in her knees and began to sob softly. "Vaaaaaaan… Vaaaaaannnn…"

"Hitomi!" She heard the young king's strong voice clearly in her head.

Instantly, her head shot up, though she managed to keep her eyes closed, and her tears stopped flowing as her heart began to race with excitement. "Van? Is that you?"

"Hitomi, yes, it's me, Van. I've missed you." His image appeared in her mind's eye as clear as if he were standing before her. 

Hitomi smiled widely while she wiped fresh tears from her cheeks, but unlike moments ago, these were tears of joy.

"Van, oh Van, I've missed you so very much. I can't even begin to tell you." She reached out with her right hand, and could see in her mind's eye her hand stretching out toward him. She stopped suddenly, afraid the spell might be broken if she actually tried to make contact. Withdrawing her hand, she clutched it close to her chest, contenting herself with being able to see and speak with him.

"I thought I knew just how much I loved you, until you went away again. There's not a moment of the day or night that I'm not thinking about you, when I'm not wondering when you will be back in my arms again." The young king said with a hint of melancholy.

"Oh Van, I'm so sorry." She replied sadly. "I wanted to return to Gaea and see you again, honestly I did. But traveling back to my world this time left me so weak. I slept for nearly a day and a half. And the first week of practice was terrible for me. I ran slower than when I first started training in Gaea." Seeing the concern written in Van's expression, she quickly added, "But I'm alright now. In fact, I'm more than alright." She tried to smile. "I've become the top 100-meter sprinter on the girl's track team. We just got back from a big meet, and I won." She wiped her eyes and offered her true love a more genuine smile.

The young king returned her joyful expression. "I'm so proud of you. I'm glad your training here helped, even a little."

"Thank you Van. I couldn't have won the race if you hadn't built me that track. I owe it all to you." 

"But it was you who made the effort to use the track, to train so hard."

"But it was more than that. You see, whenever I ran, I visualized you standing at the end of the track, waiting for me. It was you I was running toward, you I was running for." She blushed ever so slightly, not really knowing why.

The image of Van in Hitomi's mind smiled, bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes for a moment.

"So tell me everything, everything that's happened in Fanelia since I've been gone." Hitomi smiled eagerly.

"Everything?" Van's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Everything." Hitomi beamed. "And don't leave out the smallest detail."

The young king scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. Then he cleared his throat and straightened up proud and tall. "Everything. Well… where should I begin? It's been rather quiet since you left. My ministers and captains are still on their missions. No one has returned yet…."

Over the next three hours they shared every detail of their lives from the past six weeks. During that time they laughed and cried, and told the other how much they loved them.

"So when do you think you'll be able to return to Gaea?" Van asked hesitantly.

Sadness once again filled the young girl's heart. "Well, you see, that's the problem. I have a meet every week till the end of October, that's…" She quickly tried to think of it in terms that Van would understand, "that's more then… two moons away still. I think. Well, longer than I've been away already." Tears once again escaped her large emerald eyes. "I'm sorry Van, but traveling between our worlds seems to take more and more energy each time I do it. I… I wish…."

But before she could continue her thought, Van interrupted. "It's alright Hitomi. You've made a commitment. You have people counting on you and your ability to perform at your very best. I understand. I'm not happy about the idea of having to wait so long to see you again, but I understand. As a king, I know a little bit about responsibility." He smiled. "And if anything, you've taught me the importance of living up to my responsibilities, even when my thoughts are a world away."

"Oh Van." She smiled lovingly. "I only wish you could hold me in your arms right now. I miss being close to you."

"As do I. As do I. But the hour must be late now. Lie down and go to sleep, and think of me. I will be there with you, by your side, holding you in my arms. This I promise." He said with all love and tenderness.

"I love you Van. I love you more than I ever dreamed possible." A tear escaped her eye as she slid down her bed and did as he instructed.

"I love you Hitomi, more than life itself. I'll always love you." He whispered as the image of Van slowly disappeared.

As the emerald-eyed girl slowly drifted off to sleep, she felt a strange sensation over her body as if something or someone was pressing up against her back. Then she felt a presence slide over her arm and gently caress her hand.

In her sleep, the young girl whispered, "I smell the grassy fields of Fanelia. I smell Van nearby. …. I love you Van… I will always love you…. forever."

And she could just make out the words in a faint distant voice, "I love you Hitomi. I love you more than life itself."

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry for making you all wait so long for this. I know it's short, but to be honest it says all I wanted it to say; I can honestly say I'm satisfied with it. ^_^ I hope you will be too. The inspiration for this chapter came from the long hours my wife and I would spend on the phone together back when we were dating. Anyone who has ever been young and in love should be able to relate. ^_~

I'd like to thank everyone who left a review for my last chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed it so. That chapter was a little hard to write because I had several different ideas as to how to write it, and in the end I decided to incorporate what I thought were the best parts of each. I'm glad you all seemed to like the end result. ^_^

I have some very exciting news! I have been asked to be a panelist for the Fanfiction Panel at Anime Central (ACEN) this year. ^_^ I am so looking forward to sharing my writing experiences and to offer helpful suggestions to other fanfiction writers out there. I don't know when exactly the fanfiction panel will be as of yet, but I do know that it is a two hour panel discussion, so any of you who are planning on going to ACEN this year, please stop by the fanfiction panel and say HI! ^_^ I'd love to meet as many of you as possible. ^____^ And thank you personally for all your wonderful support.

I'd like to give another big thanks to my totally awesome beta-reader, Janice. As always, she does a great job editing my work. I don't know how I ever got along without her in the past. Thank you Janice, you're the best. ***Great big Hug and Kiss***

And to all of you, I love you all so very much, thank you for all your support. It means so very much to me, really it does. ^__^

A. Amishi


	81. Chapter 81

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
Escaflowne: All you need is Love, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 81  
  
The Crepusculo, ten days at sea from Freid  
  
---  
  
Cid stood along the starboard side of the ship watching the waves roll pass when he suddenly heard the word, "Catch!"  
  
Turning quickly, he shot his left hand up and caught the small red fruit that was tossed in his direction before it sailed over the side of the ship and into the salty deep.  
  
"Nice catch," the young Captain and Cid's traveling companion acknowledged.  
  
"Don't patronize me." The solemn young man replied, then tossed the fruit back to his companion.  
  
"You're not still angry because you lost the match, are you?" Leopold asked after catching the fruit.  
  
"I didn't lose! I severed your rose, just as the rules state!" The stout young man's nostrils flared.  
  
"It was an orchid, not a rose," Leopold corrected.  
  
"I don't care if it was a damned oak tree, I still won," the dark-haired Captain blustered.  
  
"Not according to Asturian rules. The rules clearly stipulate that you must not mark your opponent in any way. Don't you recall Sir Charson's account of King Van's match against the Knight of Heaven, Sir Allen Schezar? All Sir Allen did was slice a few fibers of King Van's vest and it cost him the match," the fair-haired captain explained.  
  
"But I barely touched you," Cid groaned.  
  
"Cid, not only did you slice clear through my vest and shirt, but you drew blood as well," the former Cesarian royal replied matter-of-factly.  
  
The young Captain's frowned deepened. "That could hardly even be called a flesh wound."  
  
The fair-haired Captain laughed as he walked up next to his comrade and extended the fruit to him once again. "At least we managed to entertain the young Prince and accomplished our mission," he said with a grin.  
  
Grudgingly looking over, the sturdy Captain's frown slowly melted away as he reached over and took the fruit. "I suppose you're right. That was the purpose of our journey to Freid, after all." He took a bite.  
  
"That's right." The taller of the two men did the same, enjoying the juicy sweetness of the small round object in his hand.  
  
---  
  
Standing just to the left of the entry platform two men bonded by their common affinity with the sword were saying their goodbyes.  
  
"Allen, it's been a great pleasure," the Fanelian Minister said, extending his hand to his new friend.  
  
"The pleasure was all mine, Baschan," the young and handsome Knight of Heaven replied, taking his hand and shaking it firmly.  
  
"My only wish is that my stay could have been longer," the minister added.  
  
"I'm sure I speak for Queen Millerna when I say you are always welcomed within the borders of Asturia, as well as in the Palace. And I hope you won't wait too long before coming to Palas again." The knight smiled.  
  
"Whether it be for official business or not, I assure you I will return to Palas quite soon," the taller man told his friend.  
  
"Good, I look forward to continuing our matches when you do." The knight's smile grew.  
  
"As do I," replied the minister as he broke into a hardy laugh. Before he knew it, Allen had joined in with a boisterous laugh of his own.  
  
Gadess came halfway down the ramp and said, "Time to board, Minister."  
  
"Yes, of course." Turning once again to his new friend, he added, "Do give my best to Queen Millerna once again. Thank her for all her help."  
  
"I shall, and say hello to Lord Van upon your return, and to Lady Hitomi when you see her again." The knight smiled once again.  
  
"I shall." With that, the tall bearded man turned and boarded the airship.  
  
A few seconds later, the Crusade lifted off the ground. Moments after that the propellers engaged, and the nimble airship turned about and headed toward its destination, the capital city of Fanelia.  
  
---  
  
Aboard the Vari, returning from Basram ---  
  
Beckett stood staring off the aft, watching the wake the ship left behind and the Republic of Basram fading in the distance. The memory of his final conversation with the country's Prime Minister returned to him.  
  
"I can't thank you enough, Sir Beckett. You've saved Gaea's first and only Republic from becoming the plaything of a madman. I only wish I could reward you with what you came seeking, but politics warrant otherwise."  
  
"I understand, Prime Minister. One doesn't kill a nation's war hero and expect to still be welcomed. I only hope I didn't ruin any hope for future relations between our two countries," the Minister of Defense from Fanelia replied.  
  
"Not to worry yourself, Minister. If politics has taught me anything, it is that the public at large has a very short memory. Fanelia has a bright future ahead of it, thanks to the wisdom of its young King and the men he has chosen to help him rule. It will be in Basram's best interest to build a strong relationship with such a country, but it will take a little time and some honest propaganda," assured the Prime Minister.  
  
"Honest propaganda?" Beckett raised a curious brow. "That sounds like an oxymoron."  
  
"Not at all. Once the public learns the truth about their glorious General, they'll be screaming to find out why they weren't informed sooner. That will only accelerate the fall of those loyal to the General. If all goes well, I should be able to dispatch a trade delegation to Fanelia by the coming season. If it is possible to do so, I will send a sealed message with whatever information we can provide you and your King. I only hope our engineers will be able to find the solution you seek," the Prime Minister offered.  
  
Bowing deeply, Beckett replied, "I thank you, Prime Minister."  
  
Beckett's aid came up alongside him and offered a mug of ale. "So, Minister, have you found the satisfaction you sought?"  
  
Beckett took a deep breath and stared out over the sea in pensive contemplation before replying. "No, not entirely. But it will have to do. At least now I can put my past behind me." He took a long drink of the ale, wiped his mouth, and smiled. "This day I have truly become a citizen of Fanelia." Turning to face the ship's captain and crew, the minister said in a loud voice, "Long live Fanelia!"  
  
Everyone stopped what they were doing and cheered in unison. "Long Live Fanelia!"  
  
Then he added, "And long live King Van Fanel!"  
  
"Long Live the King!" They all cheered.  
  
---  
  
Van stood atop the castle roof, looking out over his city with a mixed expression of joy and sadness. 'Hitomi,' he thought to himself, 'it was so wonderful to be able to speak with you and to see your beautiful face once again, even if it was only in my mind's eye.' He sighed sadly. 'But I could tell from the sound of your voice, from the words you spoke, I won't be seeing you again, holding you again, anytime soon.' He looked up at the sky and pictured her smiling, carefree face among the gentle white clouds. 'I guess this is what you meant by responsibilities.' A sad smile played upon his lips. "But it's all right Hitomi. I'll be here for you, even if it means waiting forever."  
  
Slowly, the young king turned and descended down into the castle.  
  
---  
  
The emerald-eyed girl finished getting changed back into her school uniform, zipped her duffel bag shut, shouldered it, and headed out of the locker room. A few minutes later as she exited the building, she spotted her friend standing nearby.  
  
"Hitomi!" The red-haired girl waved.  
  
"Hi Yukari!" she responded in a monotone voice.  
  
"Oh, cheer up Hitomi. The meet's tomorrow and your times these past couple of days have been great." Yukari hooked her friend's elbow and guided her towards the train station. "You should be happy. This means you'll be able to talk to Van again."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I just wish...." She paused.  
  
"Wish what?" her friend asked.  
  
"I just wish I could go to him now," the taller girl replied sadly.  
  
The red-haired girl mirrored her friend's sad expression, but only for a moment, as a wicked smile crossed her lips and made its way up to her eyes. "Come on," she pulled her friend along.  
  
"Yukari? I didn't know you were in a rush to get home," the sandy-haired teen gasped.  
  
"We're not going home. We're going shopping," Hitomi's friend replied.  
  
"Shopping?"  
  
"Yup. We're getting you something that's going to drive your boyfriend crazy," the redhead snickered.  
  
"What? Wait!" the emerald-eyed girl protested.  
  
But it was too late for Hitomi to change her friend's mind. Up on the train platform, they watched the train that normally took them home come and go as they waited for the train that would take them into Tokyo.  
  
After spending a couple hours dragging her melancholy friend from one shop to another, Yukari finally got Hitomi to try on a few outfits in a store specializing in European imports.  
  
Stepping out of the fitting room, the young track star stood up straight and tall with her hands by her sides and smiled. "So what do you think?"  
  
"Hitomi!" The redhead's eyes went wide as she cupped her hands over her mouth.  
  
"What? It looks funny on me, doesn't it? I knew it. I'm just too damned skinny to look good in anything." She sighed and began to turn back to the fitting room.  
  
"No! I mean... it looks great on you," her friend insisted.  
  
"Really?" Hitomi turned to her friend again.  
  
"Really. It fits perfectly," Yukari assured her.  
  
"Are you sure? You don't think the trousers are a little too baggy?" the lean, athletic girl asked.  
  
"That's how they're supposed to fit, so they give you room when you're riding," the saleswoman replied as she made minor adjustments to the sleeves and collar.  
  
"And the jacket's not too short?"  
  
"No, I don't think so," the red-haired teen replied.  
  
"That is the style of the Spanish equestrian outfit," explained the saleswoman.  
  
Hitomi tugged on the lapels and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "I don't know. You don't think the ruffles on the shirt are a bit much?" She bit her lower lip.  
  
"It looks great on you Hitomi, really," Yukari reassured her friend.  
  
"Here, let me get the rest of the ensemble," the saleswoman with the long black hair said, walking off and returning a minute later with a black sombrero and a pair of black riding boots, which only came up about a third of the way up the calf. "Now, I know these look a little big, but trust me, Spanish riding boots are meant to look like this," the dark-haired woman assured the teen. She then handed the girl the hat and knelt down to help her get the boots on. They slipped on easily, then she tucked them in under the trousers, making sure the white hem of the pants showed. Standing back up, the woman took the hat back and placed it carefully atop the young teen's head. "There we go. Now take a look," she smiled.  
  
"Oh Hitomi, you look sooo... exotic," Yukari cupped her hands over her mouth in excitement as her eyes showed the joy she felt for her friend.  
  
"You really think so?" The teen studied her reflection from head to toe and back again.  
  
Both Yukari and the salesclerk replied with a resounding, "yes," then laughed when they realized they said it in unison.  
  
Gradually a smile played its way across her lips as Hitomi turned from side to side. Growing in confidence that she really did look good in this unusual outfit, she began to visualize herself and Van riding along the countryside, then sitting in the middle of a lush green meadow to enjoy a quiet picnic together. Van, complementing her on her appearance. She, blushing slightly, but thanking him all the same. Van, slowly leaning in close to kiss her, but lightly bumping his forehead on the brim of the sombrero. Van, smiling, then gently removing the hat from the top of her head, letting it rest between her shoulder blades as he leaned in once more and kissed her ever so lovingly.  
  
"Hitomi, are you alright?" Yukari gently touched her friend's shoulder.  
  
The sandy-colored hair girl gasped at being shaken from her thoughts, then smiled widely. "Yeah, I'm fine, everything is fine." Turning towards the saleswoman, she said confidently, "I'll take it."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN: First let me apologize for taking so very long to update this story. I feel really bad for taking so long but between my increased work load on the job and the fact that my wife now works mostly days and prefers I spend time with her at night rather than with the computer, I don't have much time to write anymore. I do hope to update more frequently than it's taken me for this one but probably not more often than once every two weeks. Sorry (  
  
I hope you liked this chapter. I wanted to tie together all the different elements I had started a few chapters ago and this seemed like the best way to do it. It will still be awhile before Hitomi and Van a back together but their thoughts will never be far from each other.  
  
I'd like to offer a great big thank you to my wonderful beta-reader, Janice. Thank you Janice!!! ^_^ She's just great. I don't know how I've ever managed without her all this time.  
  
Also, I think I may have mentioned this already but since I'm old and forgetful, I'll mention it again. I will be one of the guest panelists for the Fanfiction Panel at this years ACEN convention at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, in Chicago (actually Rosemont). So if you'll be at ACEN this year, be sure to drop in at the panel and say HI! ^_^ I could use all the support I can get. ^_^!  
  
A. Amishi 


	82. Chapter 82

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 82

Junten High School Track Tournament

---

**"On Your Mark!"**

The six girls stepped into the starters' blocks, knelt down, and planted their feet in the blocks.  Some of them gave their legs one last shake before planting their feet.  Then, finding just the right position to plant their hands, they waited for the next instruction, each of them totally focused on their goal, the white ribbon one hundred meters away.

**"Set!"**

They lifted off their knees, legs coiled up like springs, heads up in total concentration.

**TSH!!!!!!!**

The gun sounded and all six girls shot out of the starters' blocks, speeding down the track.

Hitomi Kanzaki exploded out of the blocks, her eyes ever focused, ever riveted on the image of the man she loved, standing at the far end of the track.  It was for him she pushed herself so hard.  It was for him she ran so very fast.  And now as she sped down the track, everything around her seemed to lose focus and fade into a misty haze; first the people in the stands, then the teammates cheering along the sides, then the other girls in the race.  Eventually, even her body felt detached from her mind.  She was aware that she was moving her legs in rapid succession, one in front of the other.  She knew she was pumping her arms quickly and smoothly, in time with her legs, but somehow it did not feel or seem real to her.  The only thing she was sure of was the shallow breaths she was taking and the image of Van standing in the distance. 

As she broke the finish line, the image of her true love slowly faded away, but not before he offered her a loving smile. Gradually her mind became aware of everything around her.  Her body, which felt weightless as a feather during the race, now felt heavy as her legs and lungs burned for oxygen.  Her ears delivered to her the loud cheers coming mostly from the section of the stands filled with Kamakura-Kita students.

Students and parents from the three schools represented at the meet all cheered as the sandy-haired girl with the emerald colored eyes took the early lead and pulled away, winning the race by 0.14 seconds, setting a new Prefecture record of nine wins in nine consecutive heats.

Later, during the medal ceremonies after the end of the day's track and field events, the PA announcer declared the first, second, and third place finishers for the girls' 100 meter dash. "And the winner of the Girls' 100 Meter Dash is Hitomi Kanzaki from Kamakura-Kita High School.  Miss Kanzaki has set a new Prefecture record by winning her last nine heats during the past three meets her school has competed in."  The crowd cheered enthusiastically and Hitomi waved, happily accepting their praise. Turning her attention to the race officials, who extended a congratulatory hand, she shook their hands, then graciously accepted the congratulations from the second and third place finishers.

"I'm so proud of you, Hitomi." Her mother reached out and gave her arm a gentle squeeze before her hand slid down and cupped Hitomi's hand.

"You were great, Hitomi!" Her little brother jumped up and down.  "Can I see your medal?  Can I?"

Smiling down at him, she bowed her head and slid the ribbon off.  "Here you go." She handed the gold-plated medal to him.

"Whaw! It's so heavy.  Is it real gold?" he asked.

"No, just gold paint, but it does look real, doesn't it?" she told him with a smile.

"I wish your father could have been here to see you."  Mrs. Kanzaki beamed with pride.

"It's alright, mom.  I know dad has to work on the weekends sometimes." The sandy-haired girl turned her attention back to her mother.

"Well still, I'll make sure he attends your next meet," the older woman assured her.

Smiling, Hitomi nodded. "Okay, that would be great."

"Hitomi!"

The three of them turned to see Yukari standing at the entrance of the bus, waving in their direction.

"Well, I've got to go now, mom." She bowed politely.  "I need that back, squirt," Hitomi said, placing one hand on her hip and gesturing for her medal with the other.

"Okaaay." The boy grudgingly handed the prize over to his big sister. "Hitomi?" He looked up at her.

"Yeah?"  She casually replied as she placed the medal in her gym bag.

"I'm really proud to have you as my sister." He smiled.

The teenaged girl gasped. Her eyes went wide for a moment before a bright smile crossed her face. "Why Keiichi, I never expected to hear you say that," she confessed.

"Well…" The boy's face turned bright red as he suddenly found the pebbles on the ground very interesting. "Don't get the wrong idea, I still think you're a dork.  It's just, well, it's not everyday that you have a sister who sets a prefecture record like that." He looked up sheepishly.  "I just wanted to let you know… I think you're really great."  He smiled.

"Well, thank you, Keiichi." Hitomi ruffled his hair. "I really appreciate it."

"So you'll be home Sunday night?" her mother asked.

"No mom, don't you remember? I'm staying by Yukari's till Monday. We'll go to school together, and I'll be home after practice," the sandy-haired girl reminded her.

"Oh, that's right." The woman smiled. "Well you girls have fun, and I'll be sure to make your father come to your next meet, okay?"

"Okay." Hitomi leaned forward and kissed her mother on the cheek, causing the woman to gasp in mild surprise.  Running to the school bus, she turned one last time and waved goodbye to her mother and brother, then boarded to the cheers of her teammates.

Plopping down on the seat next to her best friend, Yukari smiled and asked, "So will I get to listen in on your conversation with Prince Van tonight?" She giggled.

"Shshsh." Hitomi pressed her finger to her lips. "Keep it down.  Do you want everyone to hear?  And besides, Van is a king, not a prince," she corrected.

"Sorry," the redhead replied with a smile, holding her hand next to her mouth in an attempt at keeping their conversation secret.

Just then Megumi and Akane turned around in their seats in front of them. "Big plans for tonight, Hitomi?" the team captain asked.

"No, not really, Megumi-sempai," she replied innocently.

"Good, then you can come with us tonight." Akane smiled.

"Go? Go where?" replied the emerald-eyed girl.

"To Shibuya.  My older brother just bought a new Toyota Sienna, and he promised to take me and my friends to Shibuya tonight.  He'll be our chauffer all night long."  Megumi smiled.

"So we're going shopping and to the movies and…" Akane started giggling.

"And what?"  Hitomi give her two senior teammates a confused stare.

"A new teen nightclub just opened in Shibuya, just like a real nightclub without the liquor."  Megumi smiled wickedly.

"But Akane, I thought you were engaged?  Why do you want to go to a nightclub?"  Yukari asked.

"I'm not looking to pick up any guys or anything, I'm just looking to have a little fun.  Besides, he's off on a training journey with his dad this weekend," the older girl replied.

"I thought you went with him on his training journeys?"  Hitomi inquired.

"I do, but lately his dad seems to think I'm more of a distraction than a help.  I can't imagine why." She smiled innocently while pushing up on her breasts with the back of the seat, causing all three girls to burst into laugher.

"So do you want to come, Hitomi?"  Megumi asked.

"Huh." Looking over at Yukari, then back at her team captain, she replied, "Well, I'm spending the night over at Yukari's."

"Oops, sorry, only runners allowed." Akane gave the team manager a sympathetic frown.

"What are you talking about?" Megumi elbowed her friend in the shoulder. "Of course Yukari can come. You will come, won't you, Yukari?" the team captain pleaded with a smile. "Both of you will, right?"

Hitomi and Yukari looked at each other, their eyes questioning the other, neither willing to make a decision.  Finally, Yukari turned and said, "Give me a minute," and she jumped out of her seat and headed for the back of the bus.

In the back of the bus sat several seniors, all with their books opened, all studying diligently, quietly.  Amano was one of these.  While he'd had three colleges offer him track scholarships, he still needed to pass their entrance exams before the scholarships could officially be extended.  And just as with his track career, Amano always strived to push himself academically, so every spare moment until the exams in three weeks would be spent studying.

Yukari quietly sat down next to him and waited for her boyfriend to notice her, but the young track star was so deep in concentration that he didn't become aware of her until one of his teammates, tired of seeing the poor girl wait so patiently, turned from his seat and smacked Amano on the head with his pencil.

"Oh!"  Yukari gasped in shock.

"What?"  Amano looked up quickly, wondering what had happened, when from his peripheral vision he saw the long red locks of the girl he loved.  "Yukari," he said, then leaned over and gave her a small kiss, which caused a bit of a stir on the bus and a deep blush from his girlfriend.  "Is something wrong?" he asked after looking at her hesitant expression.

"Well… it's nothing really.  I'm sorry for disturbing you." She smiled and started to get up.

Amano gently placed his hand over hers to get her to sit back down. "It's okay, I needed a break anyway."

"Well…" The redhead turned away slightly. "You see, Megumi and some of the other girls are going to Shibuya when we get back to school, and they asked if Hitomi and I would like to join them."

"Sounds like fun." Her boyfriend smiled. "You should go and enjoy yourself."

"Well, you see, they were talking about going to a new teen nightclub there as well…."

Amano smiled and rested his hand on hers. "You don't need my permission to go have fun with your friends, Yukari," he assured her.

"But I don't want you to think I'm running around trying to have fun or pick up other guys because you can't be with me," she blurted out, her cheeks turning a bright red as she looked up into his warm reassuring smile.  "I mean…"

"I trust you, Yukari.  And if some boy wants to dance with you, well, just know that I know it's only a dance, and when I'm done with my exams we'll go to that club together, okay?"  His smile widened as he looked lovingly into her eyes.

"Oh, Amano." The girl with the crimson hair and deep, thoughtful eyes leaned forward, allowing her eyes to drift shut.  Her boyfriend did the same, but as they drew closer, they could make out the faint snickering and rustling coming from the seats before them.  In unison, they opened their eyes and turned their heads to see about a dozen members of the track team turned in their seats, staring at them with big grins on their faces.

Yukari's face immediately turned bright red as she drew away from her boyfriend.  Amano drew back as well, but gave his teammates a stern stare, letting them know he was none too pleased with them.  They instantly turned around in their seats and kicked up idol chatter, pretending as if nothing had ever happened.

"Well, I guess I'll go tell them that I'll be joining them."  Yukari stood up and took a step towards the front, then suddenly turned and pressed a kiss on her true love's lips, catching him completely by surprise.  "Thank you, Amano," she whispered, then turned again and walked back to her seat.

The team captain watched as his girlfriend walked away.  "I'm one lucky guy," he whispered to himself.  Shaking his head, he picked up his book and continued studying.

AN:  Well, what can I say?  ACEN was great!!!!  I had so much fun it wasn't funny.  =P

I got to be one of the judges for the AMV contest there.  One of the Drama entries was an Escaflowne AMV. 

It won Honorable Mention in that category. 

Got to meet a couple of my readers at the Fanfiction Panel I was on, unfortunately, none of my Escaflowne readers. L

Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter but after ACEN, I got sick and wasn't in much of a mood to write.  Then this past weekend my computer died.  I hope to have it back up and running again before the end of the week but fortunately, I saved this chapter to a floppy before hand. 

As always I'd like to offer a big thanks to my wonderful beta-reader Janice, who I got to meet at ACEN   and who has just moved a 3 hours drive from me.    I got to met her again this past Sunday during my anime group's viewing.  We had a lot of fun.  Thanks as always Janice.  You're the best. 

And thank you all for your wonderful support.  I love reading your reviews just as much as you enjoy reading my story, I'm sure.  

Thank you all,

A. Amishi


	83. Chapter 83

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 83

Shibuya

---

As promised, Megumi's older brother, Miroku, chauffeured the six girls to Shibuya, where they spent the next four hours shopping.  Each changed into a new outfit they had purchased, then took the rest of their stuff back to the car.  While they could have spent hours more shopping, Megumi reminded everyone of the movie they all said they wanted to see.

Coming out of the theater, Megumi looked around her, then said, "Where is he?"

Yukari stretched her arms high above her head and asked, "Wasn't that a beautiful movie?"

"I know, it was sooo romantic," Hitomi agreed, clasping her hands together and smiling widely.

"I suppose, but I have to say, the heroine was so annoying," Akane declared.

"Yeah, what was with her?"  Reiko asked.

"No kidding. First she can't decide which of the two heroes she loves, she practically goes to bed with the one before realizing she's actually in love with the other, and she never even kisses him."  Yuri threw in her two-cents worth.

Hitomi couldn't help but blush more than just a little.

"Yeah, and what was with that ending?" Akane added.

"No kidding, she finally realizes she loves him and then she leaves him.  UUGH!" Reiko groaned angrily.  "I felt like slapping her."

"Well, but she was still so young.  Maybe she just wasn't ready to throw away her old life, her family and friends.  She had time still, she could always return to him," Yukari argued.

"I guess, but based on the last words she said to him before she left, they definitely give you the impression that she wasn't expecting to see him again for a very long time, if ever," Akane countered.

"She was so stupid.  If it were me, I'd have stayed with him," Yuri said assuredly.

"Yeah, definitely. I'd have stayed too," added Reiko.

Hitomi turned away and struggled unsuccessfully to fight back her tears.

"What's wrong, Hitomi?"  Akane asked, walking up next to the young track star.

"Oh, it's nothing, really.  I just got something in my eye, that's all."  She forced a smile.

"Well, I still think it was a beautiful movie.  Isn't that right, Hitomi?"  Yukari turned towards her friend, both asking for her support and offering her support at the same time.

"Well," the emerald-eyed girl hesitated for a moment, "I thought it was."

Her best friend gasped slightly as her heart filled with empathy for her friend.

"Don't let what these critics say get you down, Hitomi," Megumi said, coming up behind her and placing a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder.  "I thought the movie was wonderful myself."  She smiled warmly.

"So where's your brother, Megumi?"  Akane asked.

"He's on his way.  He went to get a cup of coffee and lost track of time," the captain of the girl's track team explained.

And as promised a few minutes later, Miroku showed up in front of the theater.  As the girls filed into the car, Yukari turned to her friend and asked, "Are you okay, Hitomi?"

The young track star gave the team manager a weak smile and answered, "I'll be okay."

"Okay?" Miroku asked. "Where to now?"

The four upperclassmen yelled in unison, "Club Twilight!"

At Fanelia Castle

---

Van had spent the past six hours going over the information that Sir Baschan had brought from Asturia.  The Asturian engineers offered several different possibilities, but the one that seemed to hold the most promise was the above ground aqueduct.  It called for a system that would funnel water from up stream into a canal that rose three cubits above the ground.  The plan called for the canal to be built out of the fanelus trees that were cut down to make the path for the aqueduct.  The plan seemed sound except for the method for ensuring the water would flow up into the channel.  During the rainy season, it wouldn't be a problem.  The sheer force of the Vinsorii River would be enough to keep the water flowing all the way through to the city and beyond without any problems, but during the dry season, the river flowed quite gently and several cubits lower than normal.  This posed a problem even the Asturian engineers could not solve.

Still, Van favored this approach and was hopeful that his envoys to Freid or Basram may provide the solutions to this problem.

After dealing with affairs of state and analyzing the plans from Asturia, all the young king wanted to do was go to bed.  Since he started communicating telepathically with Hitomi, he had finally been able to get to sleep.  Hearing her sweet voice in his head and seeing her loving face in his mind's eye had helped put Van's troubled heart at ease.  Knowing his true love was doing well filled his heart with joy, and while he longed to hold her in his arms again and kiss her soft, supple lips, he took comfort in imagining himself holding Hitomi in his arms as they both drifted off to sleep.  They communicated with each other at least once a week, sometimes twice.  But he knew tonight probably wouldn't be one of those nights.  He knew Hitomi would be spending the night at her friend's, and though he was tired enough to fall asleep already, he had other obligations to attend to.

On this day began the week long Yellow Moon Dragon Festival, which was kicked off with a gala celebration held in the palace courtyard.  Not only was Van the host of the festivities, but he was also expected to dance with several of the young women from the more prominent families within the kingdom.

Despite the young king's objections, his priests were very insistent.

"You must entertain the young ladies, my Lord.  It is a Fanelian tradition.  Even your father partook in the tradition," one of the three priests insisted.

"But my father was much older than I when he first met my mother and fell in love with her.  I already know whom I love, whom I will marry.  There is no reason to give these girls false hopes of someday becoming the Queen of Fanelia," the King insisted.

"But it is those hopes that ensure the continued support of these families," the High Priest insisted.

"And what will become of that support when I announce my wedding to Hitomi Kanzaki three years from now?" Van asked.

"Three years is a long time, my Lord.  Anything can happen between now and then," the priest replied.

Van scowled at his priests and responded sternly, "This is a dangerous game you play, both with our lords and with me."  He turned to walk away, but hesitated for a moment.  "I will entertain the ladies this one time, but be warned, I intend to present Lady Hitomi as our one true love at the next festival," the King pronounced.

Now dressed in his formal royal attire, the young king made his way to the courtyard.

"Lord Van!" He heard a familiar voice call out. Turning, he smiled and replied, "Merle, you look positively beautiful." 

"You think so, Lord Van?" She twirled around in the dress she previously wore to Queen Millerna's coronation. 

"Mmm." He nodded as he extended his arm to her.  "In fact, I think you look even more beautiful now."

Wrapping her arm around his, the petite catgirl got in step with her king and smiled happily.  "Thank you, Lord Van."

As they made their way towards the courtyard, a serious expression crossed the young girl's face.  "Are you really going to dance with those other girls, Lord Van?"

Nodding slightly, the King replied, "Yeah, unfortunately it is my royal obligation."

After considering this for a few minutes, Merle's ears perked up and she smiled. "Will you save a dance for me, Lord Van?"

The young King smiled. "Of course, Merle."

"Really?"  The prospect of dancing with her king made the catgirl giddy with excitement.

"Mmm." Van smiled. "In fact, I'll save both the first and last dance for you, Merle."

Stepping out of the castle and into the courtyard, Merle's eyes went wide as she marveled at the festivities: performers of all type breathing fire, performing acrobatic maneuvers, and singing and dancing, chefs from throughout the kingdom preparing their most famous recipes on quantities large enough to feed hundreds, and throngs of people all dressed in their finest festive wear.

"Oh, Lord Van, I wish Hitomi could be here for this," the catgirl sighed.

"So do I, Merle," he replied, "so do I."

AN: Well I had hoped to get this chapter out much sooner, but things don't always work out the way we want them to unfortunately.  One of the things that definitely has not worked in my favor is my work.  For reasons too stupid to even go into, it is now my company's policy to require all salaried employees to work 10 hours a day.  For me that really means 12 hours, since it takes me an hour to commute each way.  Add to that the time I spend with my family and the need to get to bed earlier now in order to get into work earlier, and that leaves very little time for writing.  But fear not, I am not abandoning this story, ever.  It will just continue to take a bit longer to get updates posted.  And every opportunity I have, I will write.  I promise. 

I'd like to say a very special thank you to all my readers and reviewers.  It just warms my heart to have received so many wonderful reviews these past few chapters.  I'm especially thankful for the number of new readers to my story.  Thank you for taking the time to join in on the adventure.  I hope I'll be able to continue to make it worth your effort. 

As always, a great big thank you to Janice, my wonderful beta-reader and dear friend.  Thank you, Janice.

Thank you all for reading, I love you all,

A. Amishi


	84. Chapter 84

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 84

Club Twilight in Shabuya

---

"Oh my, it's so dark in here," Hitomi commented as the six girls walked into the below-ground nightclub.

"Of course it's dark, it's a nightclub," Yuri replied as she walked past the young track star.

"Oh." The shorthaired teen's face turned red with embarrassment, not that anyone could tell.

"Don't worry about it," Megumi said as she came up behind her.  "I was surprised as well the first time I came here."

Hitomi smiled up at her team captain, "Thanks," as they walked further in.

With Merle at his side, Van gestured to the musicians who were playing a light, happy tune.  They immediately stopped and began playing a song more suitable for dancing.  Then the young King turned to face his childhood friend and bowed.  Giggling slightly, the catgirl cupped her hands over her mouth, but quickly straightened up and curtsied.  Taking the young feline into his arms but still maintaining a respectable distance between them, Van began to lead Merle around the dance floor. 

The young feline smiled joyfully at the memories of her and Van practicing together under Queen Vari's watchful eye.  Back then Van used to complain about having to learn how to dance and always made faces when his mother made him practice with Merle.  But once he got over his initial discomfort over having her as his partner, the two would glide about together as if they were made for each other.  It was during one of these lessons that Merle first became aware of her deeper feelings for her longtime friend and monarch, and each subsequent lesson just served to solidify those feelings. 

It had been many years since they had danced together, not since before the Queen's disappearance.  But now, as they made their way about the dance floor, Merle was once again filled with the feeling that first took root so many years ago.  Looking up into his deep, dark eyes, she sighed happily, and though she knew his thoughts were a world away, she allowed herself the fantasy of believing it was her he loved, if only for the length of that one dance.

It only took them ten minutes to find a table, but it was another fifteen minutes before a waitress made her way towards them.

"It's about time," Reiko murmured as the waitress approached.

But instead of taking their orders, she set six glasses of virgin daiquiris on the table and pointed to the group of boys sitting at the table across the way.  "These are from them."

"Cool!"  Yuri reached for one of the frosty glasses.

Reiko grabbed her friend's hand before she could reach it. "We can't accept these," Reiko insisted.

"Why not?"  Yuri asked innocently.

"What are you, totally naive?" Akane asked sarcastically.  "If we accept these then it's like an invitation to those boys to come over here."

"And this is a problem because…?"  Yuri shook her head slightly, still not grasping the full implication of the situation.

"Well, you might not mind being picked up by some strange guys, but Yukari and I already have boyfriends, right, Yukari?" the older team member added.

"R-right," the nervous redhead agreed emphatically.

"Well, Reiko and Hitomi don't mind having some male companionship tonight, isn't that right?"  She turned to Hitomi.

"Wha?"  The shorthaired girl broke into a cold sweat and her eyes went wide.

"Yeah, Hitomi, if you have one, so will I," Reiko smiled.

"Uh…" Panic stricken, the young track star didn't know how to respond.

Fortunately, she didn't have to.  "Please take these back to those boys with our apologies and bring us six ginger ales," Megumi informed the waitress.

With a look of mild surprise, the waitress placed the glasses back on her serving platter and walked away.

"Megumi!"  Yuri whined, "Why'd you do that?"

"Because we're here to have fun together, not to flirt with a bunch of hormonal boys," the team captain replied.  "Besides, did you want to get Akane and Yukari in trouble with their boyfriends?"

"Nooo, I guess not."  Yuri lowered her head slightly.

Turning towards Hitomi, Megumi smiled and threw her a wink before letting her gaze travel around the club.

Hitomi smiled back, grateful that the older, more mature girl had intervened in the situation.

In a few minutes their drinks arrived and they settled back, enjoying the music and atmosphere of the club, talking and taking turns ordering the next round.

"Your Majesty is such a wonderful dancer," the petite young girl with long flowing black hair and countless freckles observed softly.

"Why, thank you… Camille, isn't it?"  Van replied.

"I'm so flattered that your Majesty has already memorized my name," the fourteen year old girl from the western region giggled.

Cracking a half smile, the king replied, "Yes well," while inwardly he groaned, _'Please, by the gods, someone just slay me now.'_

As the song came to an end, the daughter of Fanelia's second largest cattleman pouted. "Oh!  Is the song finished already?  And I was enjoying myself so very much, weren't you, your Majesty?" She smiled hopefully.

"Huh?  Oh umm, yes, yes of course." Prying himself from her small but powerful grasp, he bowed his head politely. "Well, it was certainly a… pleasure, Lady Camille."

"Oh," the girl curtseyed as low as she could, "the pleasure was entirely mine, your Majesty."  Straightening back up, she leaned towards him slightly and whispered, "Perhaps your Majesty can reserve another dance for me later and we can continue to enjoy each other's company?" She smiled as she spoke in a pleading tone.

"Umm…" the young king smiled nervously.  "Well, my obligations during this festival may make that… difficult," he offered an apologetic smile, "but I'll shall see what I can do."

 "Thank you, Lord Van." She curtseyed once again, bowing her head down low.

Smiling nervously, he began to back away until he bumped into something very soft.

"Oh!" a gentle voice gasped.

Turning, he found himself staring eye-level at the ample bosoms of the seventeen-year old daughter of the Steward of the City of Irini.

"Oh, Lord Van!" The shy but comely girl who stood a whole head above her king blushed.

Looking up at the tall girl, he couldn't help but blush slightly, knowing what he had done.  "No apologies required.  It's I who should be seeking your forgiveness."  He bowed his head.

As the music started up again, the shy girl somehow found the courage to say, "Shall we dance, my Lord?" as she curtseyed low but kept her head up, as her governess instructed her to do.

The low-scooped dress she was wearing offered the young king an eyeful of the young woman's breasts.  Blushing again, Van turned his head away.  This in turn caused the longhaired girl to rise up quickly, also blushing deeply.  Overwhelmed with embarrassment, she started to turn in order to make a hasty retreat, but her king reached out and took her hand.

"We are going to dance, aren't we?" He smiled kindly, having recovered from his earlier discomposure.

"Aah, y-yes, my Lord."  She placed her hand on his shoulder as he took her right hand into his left and placed his right hand on her slim waist.

As they made their way about the dance floor, the young woman observed sadly, "I'm sorry, my Lord.  I'm not really much of a dancer."  Just then Van's eyes flashed wide and he sucked in air quickly, gritting his teeth.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, my Lord."  She winced and quickly lifted her foot off his.

But Van recovered quickly and smiled.  "Trust me, I've suffered much worse.  You're doing fine."

"Thank you, my Lord," she smiled back. "Your Majesty is far too kind."

"Not at all," Van reassured her, then asked, "You are Steward Gensha's daughter, are you not?"

"Yes, my Lord.  My name is Clarissa," she responded happily, overjoyed that her king knew who she was.  But her joy quickly turned to mortification when she stepped on him yet again.  "Oh, I'm so very, very sorry, my Lord," she quivered, nearly in tears.

Van offered a warm smile, but internally he moaned, _'why are you crying?  I'm the one with the broken foot.'_

Hitomi and Yukari laughed hysterically as they made their way from the dance floor, following Megumi and Akane.  When they reached their table, a less then pleased Akane turned to them and said sternly, "I really don't see what's so funny."

The two younger girls forced themselves to stop laughing long enough to nod in agreement, only to look over at each other and burst into laughter once again.

"Oh, you two," the youngest of the three Tendo sisters huffed and sat down, "you're both so immature."

"We're sorry Akane-sempai, really," Hitomi apologized. "It's just …" She started laughing again.

"Just what?" the dark haired eighteen-year old senior fumed.

"You hit the wrong guy!"  Yukari blurted out as she and Hitomi burst into another uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"What?  No way!" she gasped in utter shock.

"It's true," Megumi said calmly. "The one that groped you was a greasy looking boy with short hair and red-rimmed glasses.

"You're joking, oh God, please tell me you're joking?"  She stared at Megumi, hoping for the absolution that did not come.  Instead, her friend cracked a smile, which quickly turned into a chuckle that eventually changed into full-blown laughter.  But unlike the others, Megumi managed to compose herself once again and replied, "Sorry, Akane-chan, I'm afraid it's true."

"Oh my God.  I should go apologize to that poor guy." Akane stood up and started looking around the club.

"Too late," Hitomi squeaked out. 

"They're carrying him out right now."   Yukari pointed to the exit where two bouncers were dragging a barely conscious boy out of the club.

"Oh my." Akane turned bright red, but this time from embarrassment rather than from anger.

After a few moments everyone calmed down and were sitting quietly around the table, enjoying their drinks, until Hitomi asked, "Akane, what are you looking for?" having noticed that the older girl had been glancing around the nightclub for the past few minutes.

"I'm just trying to see if I can find the jerk who grabbed me," she replied.

With that, all three girls started laughing again.

"Now what?"

"That's what we were laughing about in the first place," Hitomi replied between fits of laughter.

"That boy shot out of here so fast it wasn't funny," Yukari added.

"Oh, yes, it was," Megumi commented, causing the other two to laugh even louder.  "He must have knocked over a half a dozen people trying to get out of here before you noticed that he was the one."

"And you knocked him into next week," Yukari threw in, causing Hitomi and Megumi to laugh even louder.

Looking from one girl to the next, Akane huffed, "You…" she gritted her teeth in frustration.  But after a few seconds her expression softened and she too began to laugh.

"Say, where are Reiko and Yuri?" Megumi asked as she scanned the club.

Hitomi did the same, eventually spotting the two girls sitting at another table with four boys.  "There they are."  Hitomi gestured with her eyes.

Megumi turned and spotted the two of them talking and laughing with the four boys at the table.  Turning back, she shook her head and said, "They just better not bring those boys over here."

Hitomi glanced up in their direction once again, only to have Yuri spot her.  The blonde girl whose hair was even shorter then Hitomi's began to wave and gesture for her to come over.

"Oh my God." Hitomi lowered her head.

"What is it, Hitomi?" Yukari asked.

"Yuri saw me, she wants us to go over there," the young track star said with her head still down.

"Wha—" Megumi looked up from her drink and back over her shoulder again to see Yuri, and now Reiko, both waving and gesturing for them to come over.  And when the boys saw Megumi look over, they started waving for her to come over too.  Sighing in disgust, she turned to her long time friend and said, "Come on, Akane," then she got up and headed back to the dance floor.  Shaking her head, the team's senior member got up and followed her friend.

Yukari turned to Hitomi and said, "It seems like the dance floor is probably the safest place for us right now."

Hitomi nodded as she sipped on her straw.  Pausing from her drink for a moment, she said, "Sure, go on ahead, I'll catch up in a second.  I just want to finish this.  I'm really thirsty." She grinned, giving a small giggle as she went back to her soda.

"Okay," the redhead replied, then got up and headed for the dance floor.

Just as she was finishing her drink, Hitomi became acutely aware of someone's presence next to her.  Turning, she found herself staring at a very tall and lanky boy with short but messy hair, bad teeth, and an even worse complexion.  Her heart began to race at the horrifying thought of what this boy was about to ask.

"Hi there, you want to dance?" he grinned.

"Umm, well, you see, I'm already dancing with my friend," she said as she stood up.  "In fact, she's already waiting for me."  She pointed in the direction of the dance floor.

"But she's a girl," the awkward boy said, standing up and towering over the young sprinter.

Taken aback by the boy's overwhelming height, she recovered quickly enough when what he said finally registered. "So what if she's a girl?"

"Well, you're not a lesbian are you?"

"WHAT!" Hitomi was instantly flushed from equal measures of anger and embarrassment.  "No, I'm not a lesbian.  Not that it's any business of yours."  She turned to walk away, but stopped abruptly and turned back to face the unsightly boy. "There's nothing wrong with friends dancing together.  Of course, someone like you wouldn't understand that." Then she stormed off.

"What a bitch," the boy said as he turned around. "Huh?" was all he had a chance to say before he buckled over in pain and hit the floor, felled by a ferocious kick to the abdomen from an enraged Akane Tendo.   

"It's men like you that give your sex a bad name," she said, leaving the boy sprawled out on the floor.

AN: Well, that's about the longest chapter I've written in quite some time.     I didn't plan on it going for so long, but I guess that's how it works out sometimes.  This was obviously quite different from anything I've written so far for this story, but I hope you enjoyed it.  If it feels like Hitomi took a back seat to her friends, you're right, she did.  Being the youngest of the group and, next to Yukari, the most inexperienced in this type of setting, it seemed only natural that Megumi and Akane would take more of a lead in this setting.  But things will return to normal in the next chapter. 

I'd really like to thank everyone who reviewed my last chapter.  I was so very surprised to see so many reviews of it, and so very happy.      I really appreciate all your comments.  Thank you all so very much.

And thanks to my awesome beta-reader, Janice. You're the best. 

A. Amishi


	85. Chapter 85

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 85

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-

-

Club Twilight

---

Hitomi stood against the polished railing that bordered part of the far end of the dance floor.  She smiled, watching her friends having a good time dancing, but she sighed with a deep sense of melancholy as she thought, _'I wish I were dancing with you tonight, Van.  I bet the Dragon Festival is simply wonderful.'  _She smiled, but her smile slowly faded.  _'I wonder how many girls you've danced with already?  Are they pretty?  Are they sophisticated?  Do they come from prominent families from all over Fanelia?' _Hitomi sighed, but quickly shook such thoughts from her mind.  _'Don't do this to yourself, Hitomi.  You have to trust Van.  Believe in him and in his love for you.'_

"Lost in deep contemplation, Hitomi Kanzaki?" an unfamiliar voice said next to her, snapping her from her musings.

A bead of nervous perspiration formed on her right temple as she looked over at the young gentleman.  "Aah… I'm sorry… do I know you?" 

"Well, no, not really, but I know you, and so does everyone else at my school now."  He smiled.

"Your school?"

"My apologies, Miss Kanzaki."  He bowed.  "It was very rude of me to take such an unfair advantage and act so familiar."  He bowed once more.  "My name is Toshiro, Toshiro Hasanami.  I'm a junior at Hakone High School.

"Hakone."  Hitomi searched her memory, _'Hakone.  Why does that name sound so familiar?  Wait a minute!'_  She then said aloud, "Hakone High School, we just had a meet at your school earlier today."

"Well, I'm glad we haven't become just another faint memory on your path to becoming the greatest woman's track star in Kanagawa Prefecture history."  The boy smiled.

Hitomi blushed slightly.  "I-I'm sorry.  It's just been a very eventful day for me today," she explained.

"No need to apologize," he assured her.  "Our school's faculty and administration made such a big deal about how this meet was going to be a contest to see who was really the best 100-meter runners in the prefecture, Amano Susumu and Hitomi Kanzaki from Kamakura-Kita, or our Akira Mifune  and Motoko Hasanami.  It was thought that since Amano-sempai was a senior and already known as one of the best 100-meter runners in the prefecture, that Akira would have his work cut out for him.  But almost everyone at my school thought that you had just been lucky up till now, and that Motoko was going to see to it that your luck ran out today." He grinned.

"Oh really?" Hitomi smirked.

Toshiro laughed. "I can't wait to hear the excuses they'll make come Monday, in order to explain how you managed to blow all the competition away, and how not just one sprinter from Kamakura-Kita managed to beat Motoko, but two actually did."

Hitomi narrowed her eyes slightly at the boy, _'What a jerk,'_ then said, "You know, that's not very nice.  Aren't you being kind of cruel towards your own school's runner?"

The boy struggled to contain his mild laughter.  "I'm sorry, I know I must seem cruel, but trust me, it's not.  You see, Motoko is my twin sister."  He pointed to a table on the other side of the nightclub and waved.

Following the direction he was pointing, Hitomi spotted a table with several boys and girls.  One girl in particular, who looked vaguely familiar, was smiling widely and waving back enthusiastically.

"Let me guess, that's your sister?"  Hitomi smiled.

"Ah, yeah."  Toshiro scratched the back of his head while waving back to her.

Hitomi stifled a giggle, causing the boy to laugh as well.

After a few minutes of silence, Toshiro looked over at Hitomi.  Sensing his eyes upon her, she turned her head towards him and gave him a questioning gaze.

"Wou…" he quickly turned away, then just as quickly turned back.  "Would you like to dance?"

Hitomi offered him a sweet smile, but said, "No, but thanks for asking."

He nodded and offered her back a weak smile, then went back to staring out over the dance floor.

Hitomi smiled to herself, _'You're a sweet boy, Toshiro, but it's Van I want to dance with.'_  Again she envisioned Van in his formal royal attire dancing with some beautiful young girl wearing a breathtaking long, flowing gown.  The girl talked continually and Van nodded politely to everything she had to say, but in the back of his eyes, Hitomi could see the melancholy that bound his heart.  It was the same look he had each time they ended their nighttime telepathic communications, the same look he had when she left Fanelia the last time.  The look that said, "Hitomi, I love you.  Hitomi, I wish you were by my side, now and forever."

She sighed softly and stole a glance over at Toshiro, who was still watching the crowd dance.

'Well, Van, if you can sacrifice for appearances, so can I.  I'll do my best to enjoy myself while I'm here, just like you wanted me to.  But I won't know true joy again until I'm with you.'

"Come on."  She reached out and took the startled boy's hand, pulling him onto the dance floor.

"O-Okay." He smiled, overjoyed that this amazing young woman changed her mind.

---

"Oh Lord Van, wasn't the festival wonderful?" the catgirl asked, dreamy eyed.  "And you're such a wonderful dancer."  She raised her hand high above her head and threw her head back, causing her weight to shift.

"Steady, Merle."  Van adjusted to keep from having his young friend fall from his arms.  "How much wine did you drink tonight, anyway?"

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes with the sweetest, most innocent expression imaginable and answered, "Only one, maybe two… dozen."

"Hmmm… I'm going to have to have a word with the waiters who served you," Van moaned.

"I had such a wonderful time, Lord Van.  Didn't you have a wonderful time, Lord Van?"  She grinned at him from ear to ear, her eyes only the tiniest of slits.

"Yes Merle, I had a wonderful time too, especially when I was with you."

"Mmm…" She grinned happily.  "You're so sweet, Lord Van."  She nuzzled up close to his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Smiling down at his childhood friend, he pulled her close and continued down the hall towards her chambers.

-

"Here we go," Van whispered, using the hand that was supporting Merle's legs to open the door.

The evening candles were still lit, so Van had no trouble making his way over to Merle's bed.  The sheets had already been turned down for the night, so Van gently laid her down on it, but almost instantly the petite catgirl began to fuss.

"What's wrong, Merle?" he inquired.

"Dress…" she moaned, tugging at the garment with her eyes still shut.  "Don't want to ruin it."

Van laughed silently, then gently rolled her on her side and began unbuttoning the gown.  With it unbuttoned, he rolled her on her back again and slipped it off of her, then laid it at the foot of the bed.  Grabbing the edge of the sheets, he pulled them up and carefully tucked her in.

Moaning happily, Merle whispered sleepily, "Lord Van?"

"Yes, Merle?" he whispered back.

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

Smiling, he replied, "Yes, Merle, I think you're very pretty."

"But not as pretty as Hitomi?"

To this question, Van gave no reply.

"Lord Van, do you think any of those girls tonight were more beautiful than Hitomi?"

Van sat at the edge of the bed and gently ran the back of his fingers across Merle's cheek.  This caused the catgirl to open her eyes ever so slightly.

 "Yes, there were some very attractive girls at the festival tonight, some might even say they were more attractive than Hitomi.  But beauty, true beauty comes from here."  He pointed to her heart.  "From the soul.  A wise man once said, 'An attractive woman without a beautiful soul is like a precious jewel in the belly of a sow.'  I consider myself very lucky." He smiled.

"Mmm?"  Merle snuggled deeper into the bed.  "Why is that, Lord Van?"

"Because I've been fortunate enough to know three truly beautiful women.  Two of them here in Gaea."

"And one from the Mystic Moon, right?"

"Mmm hmm…" He nodded.  "And of the two in Gaea, I've been fortunate enough to have one of these beautiful women right here in Fanelia," He smiled warmly at her, "Right here in this bed."

"Oh, Lord Van." Merle smiled happily before yawning widely and letting her eyes drift shut.

"Goodnight, Merle."  He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Lord Van," Merle mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.

Once Van was certain Merle was asleep, he picked up her dress and headed for the door.  He was walking down the hall to the stairs that would take him to the laundry facilities when Sophia spotted him.

"Lord Van, still up after the celebration?" she asked with a smile.

"Sophia, are you still working at this hour?" the young king countered.

"I'm blessed with work, my King."  She bowed.  "Were you taking Miss Merle's dress to be laundered?" she asked after straightening back up.

Looking down at the dress, Van nodded.  "Yes, Merle loves this dress so.  I wanted to make sure it was cleaned."

"I'll see to it, my Lord."  Sophia extended her arms to receive the garment.

"Thank you, Sophia."  He handed it to her, showing great care so as not to drag it on the floor when he handed it over to the head chambermaid. 

"It is my pleasure to serve you, my Lord."  She bowed deeply again, then turned and headed for the laundry facilities.

Taking a deep breath, Van turned and headed for his chambers.

-

Entering his chambers, Van walked over to his bed and sat down with the intent to pull off his boots first, but the pull of his formal dress coat on his shoulders changed that plan.  Standing back up, he undid the buttons to his coat and pulled it off his shoulders, depositing it on the chest at the foot of the bed.  He then undid his sash, discarding it on top of the coat.  Sitting back down, Van pulled off his boots, then unbuttoned his shirt and stood back up, pulling out its tails from under his pants.  Letting his shirt fall to the floor, Van walked over to the window, opened it, and looked out over the forest that bordered the back of the castle.

The forest was dark and deep, as was the sky.  The many clouds in the sky helped keep the day cool during the festival, but now they concealed the stars in the night sky, and even hid the two moons of Gaea.

Van closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh forest air, filling his lungs with its sweet natural sent.  Slowly, he exhaled and gradually opened his eyes, and as if by some divine command, the clouds concealing the Mystic Moon parted and revealed the blue planet to him. 

'What country is it you come from again, Hitomi?  Ja-Japan is it?  Is it a beautiful kingdom, Hitomi?  Do the forests grow thick and lush there?  Are the skies filled with pheasants?  Do dragons roam the land and the sky as they do here?'

He took another deep breath and turned sideways as he sat on the window's edge, allowing his bare back to lean against the window frame.  Still staring up at the Mystic Moon, the handsome young king began to concentrate on the one person he treasured most in life.

--

Hitomi Kanzaki lay on the futon next to Yukari's bed, staring up at the ceiling.  They had gotten home less than an hour ago and talked about possibly staying up all night, but before she knew it, Yukari was overcome with exhaustion and quickly fell asleep.

While Hitomi was tired as well, and took the time to change and set out the futon, sleep was actually the furthest thing on her mind.  But as she lay on the futon trying to conjure up the image of her true love, the image that kept coming to mind was that of the Earth as seen from Gaea.  Quietly, she sat up and looked over at Yukari. Hitomi smiled, seeing her friend fast asleep.  Gradually, she stood up and walked over to the window.   While not nearly as large as the bay window in her chambers at Fanelia Castle, the window in Yukari's room was just big enough for Hitomi to sit in.  Sliding in behind the curtains and opening the window all the way, the 15-year old girl with the emerald eyes sat down on the edge, her back against the left side of the window frame as she looked up at the moon and at Gaea.

"Van," she whispered, "Are you looking up at the Mystic Moon, Van?  Are you looking up and thinking of me as I look up at Gaea and think of you?"

-

Van gasped, but the surprise quickly faded as a smile played across his face.  "Hitomi, yes, I'm sitting in my window looking up at the Mystic Moon and thinking of you."

-

"Oh Van," she smiled, "So am I.  I'm in Yukari's room, sitting at her window looking up at the moon and at Gaea.  It looks so beautiful, so peaceful."

"As does the Mystic Moon."  He reached his hand out towards the Earth as if cradling it in his palm.  "I missed you today, Hitomi, more than any other day since you've been gone."

"What?  Those other girls weren't able to capture your attention?"  Hitomi teased with a faint smile.

"Only one woman has ever captured my attention… and my heart, Hitomi," he said in all seriousness.

After a long pause as her eyes welled up with unshed tears and glistened in the pale moonlight, she tried to reply. "Van…" her voice cracked.  "I… I…"

"Shhh… It's alright, Hitomi."  He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself.

In that same moment, Hitomi unconsciously closed her eyes, allowing the tears to run down her cheeks, and wrapped her arms around herself.  Softly, she whispered, "I love you, Van."

"I love you, Hitomi," he whispered.

==========

AN:  I'd like to start by saying thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter.  I had no idea it would receive the type of response that it did.  I'm so very happy that you all liked it so.  I hope you've enjoyed this chapter as well.  It took me quite a bit of time to work out how the night would end for our two heroes, but this felt right.  I hope you agree.

As for all the requests I've had to have Hitomi return to Gaea and to Van, I can only say, please have patience.  It will happen soon enough, trust me. 

Things will move ahead much faster after Hitomi's next trip to Gaea.  Her junior year will be just a blur. (In Japan, there is no sophomore year in most HS's)  The entire year will probably be covered in just 10 chapters, which will move us into her senior year.  A whole lot will be happening during that time, both on Earth and on Gaea.  I hope you'll stick with me on this journey.  It promises to be an enjoyable one. 

As always, I'd like to thank my awesome beta-reader, Janice, who not only is my beta-reader, but a very dear friend as well.  Thank you Janice, you're the best.

And thank you, my readers, both new and old.  Reading your reviews helps make writing this story a joy.  I love you all so very much.  Thank you.

A. Amishi


	86. Chapter 86

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 86

Fanelia Castle

Van sat at the dining table in the terrace atop the castle, enjoying a light breakfast under the early morning Fanelia sky. With nothing on his agenda for the morning, the young king took his time while waiting for his dining companion to join him.

With the formal celebration of the Dragon Festival over, the more informal weeklong celebration had already gotten underway in the streets of the city and in the plaza. This was the part of the festival Van enjoyed the most, for it allowed him the opportunity to mix and mingle with his people and to share in their joy during the celebration. He especially enjoyed watching Merle. No one knew how to have fun during the festival as much as his young friend. The memory of Merle's antics at last year's festival, which had taken place just weeks before his coronation and the destruction of Fanelia, brought a smile to the young king's face.

Several minutes later, Merle came prancing out onto the terrace and leapt into her seat. "Good morning, Lord Van!" She smiled widely as she quickly got to work piling food onto her plate.

Van laughed silently as he reached for the pitcher of juice and filled her goblet. "Morning, Merle. I'm glad to see you so energetic this morning." He smiled back.

"Why wouldn't I be, Lord Van?" she asked with food in her mouth. "I'm always like this in the morning."

"Normally, yes, but after all the wine you drank last night, I half expected you to be laid up in bed with a hangover." He laughed.

"Oh, Lord Van, I didn't drink that much. Besides, I couldn't get a hangover even if I wanted to." She took a big drink from her goblet, then shoveled more food in her mouth.

Remembering the nature of her people, he let the topic go, choosing instead to serve himself a small helping of fruit salad.

"Eating light today, Lord Van?" Merle asked.

He nodded, choosing to wait until he finished what he had in his mouth before elaborating. A moment later he said, "I'm not all that hungry after all the food from the festival yesterday."

The catgirl laughed. "Eating all that food just makes me that much hungrier." She grinned.

"Yes, I see that." Van stared at her plate, then back up to her.

As Merle finished off her first serving of food, she took a long drink of her juice and wiped her mouth and chin with her napkin, then smiled up at her king.

Van smiled back.

Before she served herself more, a thought crossed her mind and she blushed slightly as she asked, "Oh, Lord Van?"

"Yes, Merle?" He looked up.

"Did you have one of the maids undress me last night?" she asked timidly.

Van responded quickly, "No, I did it myself. Don't worry, I had Sophia take your dress down to be cleaned. You should have it back by tomorrow."

Shifting her gaze to her empty plate, she continued, "Sssoo… y-you saw me… naked, that is?"

Placing another slice of fruit in his mouth, he nodded, causing the catgirl to blush a deep reddish-orange. Looking to reassure his young friend Van added, "It's okay, Merle. It's not like I haven't seen you naked before. Don't you remember? We used to bath together."

"Well… sure, Lord Van, but that was a long time ago," she countered.

Van smiled. "Don't worry, you haven't changed much since then."

A look of intense sadness crossed the catgirl's face. "I haven't?"

"Well…" Van pondered his response to best cheer up his long time friend. "You have gotten taller," he assured her, then reached out and ruffled her hair as he laughed mildly.

The young feline stared at her plate a moment longer before slowly sliding off her seat. "Excuse me, Lord Van," she said softly as she turned to leave.

"You're not done, are you, Merle? You haven't even had seconds yet." A look of amused confusion played across his face.

"I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought I was." She gave him a weak smile, then exited the patio.

"Hmm… strange," Van whispered. _'Could I have upset her?'_ he considered, but before he could continue the thought, Sir Charson, his Minister of Trade, approached.

"Lord Van, I apologies for interrupting your morning meal, but a unique opportunity has arisen. If you have a moment, I can explain in detail," the minister said.

Looking back at the entryway once again, the young king considered his options. _'I'm sure she's fine. She'll feel better after we go to the festivities later. Perhaps I'll ask her what's troubling her. Sir Charson wouldn't be here now if this were not a matter of importance to my kingdom.'_ He gestured to the chair to his left. "Sit, Sir Charson, tell me of this opportunity you speak of."

Merle walked casually down the hall, smiling and greeting people as they passed. She skipped down the stairs to the floor where her chambers were and headed towards them. The closer she got, the faster she walked, until she finally broke out into a run. Reaching her room, she rushed in and locked the door behind her, then ran to her bed and threw herself upon it, weeping.

"You said I was beautiful last night, Lord Van," she whispered into her pillow, "but you still think I look like a child." Her sobs grew more intense. "And you're right. Why can't I be fifteen already? Why can't I be at the age of progression? Oh why? Why?"

AN: Sorry I took so long for such a short chapter, but I had to do some research of my own story in order to maintain consistency. I'm in the process now of creating a glossary listing all the characters, places, things, and events that occur so I don't have to search the entire story again.

I hope you liked it, and I have some very good news. Hitomi will be returning very soon. The next chapter will be her final race of the Fall season. Will her love for Van see her through the championship tournament? After that will be her final preparations for returning to Gaea and then….

Meanwhile, I'm still doing research on aqueducts and other man-made water diversions. If anyone has any real insight on these things, please share them with me. I could use all the help I can get. =P Just email me at 

As always, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing my story. And a great big thank you to Janice for beta-reading my story and doing such a great job of it. Thank you all.

A. Amishi


	87. Chapter 87

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?  
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Chapter 87  
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Hitomi sat on the inner field of the track, stretching out and trying her best to concentrate on the race. The entire fall season had led up to this, the Prefectural Championship Meet. While not as prestigious as the Spring Tokyo Invitational, it served as a gage for the following spring season, and would solidify Hitomi's status as the best girl's 100-meter sprinter in the prefecture. She had already won her previous three heats and was just waiting for the final race, but these heats were much closer than any of her previous races. The best runners throughout the prefecture were all here, and she was really being put to the test now. During her second heat, she actually had to come from behind in the last 40 meters to win, something she hadn't had to do all season long. In addition, a runner in one of the other semi-final heats actually ran a time 0.02 seconds faster then Hitomi's times, another first.

With all of this weighing on her mind, Hitomi should have been concentrating on the race, she should have been totally focused on the task at hand, on accomplishing everything she had worked for up to this point. But she wasn't.

'Tonight's the night, Van. I finally get to see you again, Van, I've waited so long, it feels like forever. I hope you're as anxious to see me as I am to see you. I hope...'

"You call that stretching?"

Hitomi looked up to see a very displeased team manager with her hands on her hips and a deep frown on her face.

"Hi, Yukari." Hitomi smiled.

"Don't 'Hi, Yukari' me. You're thinking about him, aren't you?" the redhead snapped.

"You don't have to say it like that," Hitomi pouted.

"Don't give me that pouty look. You won't get any sympathy from me. This is it, Hitomi. This is the last race of the season. Don't ruin it by not giving it your all," Yukari warned.

Hitomi turned away, not wanting to hear her friend's lecture.

Yukari's expression softened as she let her hands drop to her sides. "Look, how would Van feel if he knew you lost the most important race of the season because you were preoccupied with romantic thoughts of him?"

The young sprinter lowered her head slightly. "You're right." Then she looked back up at her friend. "You're right. I need to concentrate. I need to focus."

"You're darn right you do. Now stretch out right, your race is up in about ....45 minutes." With that, Yukari turned and walked in the direction of the girl's team captain, who was also warming up in anticipation of the final heat.

After watching her friend walk away, Hitomi put her legs together in front of her and reached forward to grab her feet, pressing her forehead down to her knees. _'Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate...'_

Slowly a vision of herself standing behind the starting blocks came into focus. Looking down, she saw the tops of her shoes as she stepped forward into the blocks when the starter called out, "READY!" Going down on one knee, she could literally feel herself plant and reposition her feet on the blocks as she set her hands and took a deep breath, exhaling quickly.

When the starter called out, "SET!" she lifted herself into position and looked up. And there he was, standing at the far end of the field, fists clinched in front of him, offering his strength, his encouragement. A faint smile crossed her lips as she realized, _'There's no way I can lose.'_

This vision repeated itself over and over in her mind's eye as she stretched, filling her with confidence and the assurance that she would be seeing her true love very soon.

-

Yukari came running up to her. "HITOMI! Didn't you hear the call?" she panted, coming to a stop in front of her friend.

"Huh?" The sandy haired girl with the emerald eyes looked up just as the second call came. "Will all runners competing in the girl's 100-meter finals please assemble at the starting line."

"Hoooolyyyyy... !" Hitomi jumped to her feet. "Wish me luck," she said as she jogged.

"Good Luck!" Yukari yelled, waving to her retreating friend. "Not that you need it," she whispered with a smile.  
.  
.

Hurrying to her position in forth lane, Hitomi smiled when she saw whom was in the lane next to her. "Megumi-sempai!"

"Oh, and here I thought I'd finally have a chance to win a race because you weren't going to show up," the team captain teased.

"Huh?" A sad look appeared upon Hitomi's face. _'Have I ruined Megumi-sempai's plans for this season? If I wasn't having the season I'm having, sempai would have won about half the races we competed in, and would have medaled in all of them.'_

"Cheer up, Hitomi, I was only joking." The older, taller girl smiled and shook her head. "It's times like this that serve to remind me you're still just a tenth grader. You're so naïve." She laughed.

Hitomi blushed, but smiled as well. "Good luck, Sempai." She extended her hand.

Megumi took it and gave it a firm but friendly shake. "Good luck to you, Hitomi. I'd say I hope you win, but that would be a lie." The dark haired girl winked.

Hitomi laughed just as the final announcement for the runners to take their positions was made.

Standing behind the block, Hitomi's vision started to come true as she stepped forward when the starter announced, "READY!" She knelt down and carefully positioned her feet and hands. Then she heard, "SET!" and she lifted herself into position and looked up to see the vision of the man she loved, with his hands balled up into fists before him and an intense yet loving expression on his face. Hitomi smiled to herself for a moment, then wiped the smile away as her concentration level and intensity increased dramatically.

This was it. The training in Fanelia, the month of track practices, the six-week long fall track season, her commitment to the team, her promise to her friend, all came down to this.

"**BANG!"**

--

Along the sidelines, the contingent from Kamakura-Kita High School who were not currently competing in field events were cheering hysterically.

"GO HITOMI!"

"GO MEGUMI!"

"RUN! RUUNNN!"

"GO HITOMI! GO MEGUMI!"

"GO! GO! GO! GO!"

--

When the gun sounded, the runners in lanes two, four, five, and eight shot out of the blocks first, in a dead heat, and remained even all the way through the first 30 meters. Slowly, the girl in lane 5 started to pull ahead.

--

"GO MEGUMI!"

"GO SEMPAI!"

--

At the 50 meter mark, the girl in lane 2 made her move as she pulled ahead of the other two girls and narrowed the gap between her and the girl in lane 5.

--

"COME ON, HITOMI!!"

"GO MEGUMI!"

"YOU CAN DO IT, HITOMI!"

"GO SEMPAI!"

--

The girl in lane 4 seemed to be locked in a battle for third place with the girl in lane 8, with the other two runners clearly ahead by a stride and a half, when suddenly at the 70 meter mark, she seemed to find an extra burst of speed, and in a matter of 20 meters, closed the gap between her and the other two girls.

--

"GO HITOMI!"

"GO HITOMI!"

"YOU CAN DO IT, HITOMI!"

"GO, GO, GO HITOMI!"

"YEAH!!!!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

"WE WON! WE WON!"

--

Having left everything she had on the 100 meters behind her, Hitomi stumbled and fell to the floor, slowly rolling over to look up at the sky and the image of the man she loved looking down at her with a warm and loving smile across his face.

"Thank you, Van," she whispered between gulps of air. "I couldn't do it without you." She smiled.

"I knew you could do it, Hitomi," he said.

Gasping, her eyes went wide. _'Could he really be here?'_ But as she started to raise her hand to reach out to him, he slowly faded away and Megumi rushed up to her and the same place Van had been with frightened look on her face and concern in her voice. "Hitomi? Are you all right?"

Too tired to answer, the young teen just reached up with her hand. Her team captain got the idea and took ahold of her hand, helping her back up onto her feet. When she stumbled a bit, the taller girl slouched as she pulled the race winner's arm across her shoulders and took ahold of her around her waist to help her back over to the team area.

"Thanks, Megumi-sempai." Hitomi whispered.

"What are friends for?" Megumi smiled, then stopped and looked over at the scoreboard. "Look, the official times are being posted."

Hitomi looked up and smiled.

In an instant the results appeared.  
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1st Kanzaki Hitomi 12:09 Kamakura-Kita ....................................New Prefecture Record

2nd Hayamoto Ruri 12:10East Yokohama

3rd Yotsuga Megumi 12:13Kamakura-Kita

4th Itsume Ryoko12:18East Yokohama

5th Masamoto Yui 12:22East Yokohama

6th Sayoto San12:38Yamato

7th Asunami Rei12:40Fujisawa

8th Sakuraba Harumi12:44Kamakura-Kita  
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Before she knew it, Megumi was hugging her. "You did it, Hitomi! You did it! You set a new record!"

Then one by one, the rest of her teammates joined in, celebrating the young track star's wonderful achievement.

---

As the day's competitions drew to a close, the only two events remaining were the boys' and the girls' 4x100 meter relay. While Hitomi had anchored this event in the first few meets, it had been over a month since she had competed in this race. The coach and team captains wanted to give some of the other girls a chance to complete. But with the Prefectural Championship Title at stake, they wanted their best 100-meter runners available.

Hitomi was warming up with Harumi when Megumi, Akane, and Haruka came over.

"Guys, I need to tell you something," Megumi announced.

Hitomi and Harumi jumped up and approached their captain.

"What is it, Megumi-sempai?" the younger of the two asked.

"You both know about the nasty spill Haruka took at the end of her 100-meter semi-final heat." She pointed to the girl's bandaged knee.

Both Harumi and Hitomi nodded.

"Well, it's still bothering her, so we asked the officials and they agreed to allow Akane to substitute for her," Megumi explained.

Harumi and Hitomi gave each other a questioning stare before Harumi asked, "Is that really okay with you, Haruka?"

The junior nodded. "Absolutely. I know I'm not at my best right now, and we need this win to have a chance at the title.

"Akane's times have been improving steadily throughout the season. I think she's ready to step in and help us win this race," Megumi added.

"This is Akane-sempai's last race. She deserves to go out in style. Right, girls?" Haruka cheered.

"Right!" the other three yelled enthusiastically.

"Thanks," Akane smiled modestly. "Thank you all."

The girls huddled together as Megumi laid out the order of the race. A few minutes later they were practicing their baton handoffs when it was announced that the boys' 4x100 race would precede the girls' race. No reason was given and both races were delayed by nearly an hour.  
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Aided by a record setting time by Amano, the Kamakura-Kita boys relay team won easily. Now a first place finish in the Kanagawa Prefectural Track and Field Championship rested squarely on the shoulders of the girls' 4x100 relay team. Trailing the long time track and field powerhouse, East Yokohama High School, by just one point, the championship would go to whichever team finished ahead of the other. But with the East Yokohama High girls' relay team holding the Prefecture record in this event, nothing short of a victory would do.

The nightlights came on in the stadium just as each girl took their position around the 400-meter track. The day's events had been long and grueling, plagued with technical difficulties and countless delays, but not a single seat in the stands was empty as the showdown that would determine the Kanagawa Prefectural High School Track and Field Championship was about to take place.

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Getting down in the starting blocks, Megumi carefully positioned her hands, adjusted the baton slightly, and took two deep breaths as she waited for the "SET" notification.

'All or nothing, all or nothing. You've already run your personal best once at this meet. You can do it again. All or nothing.'

The eight girls exploded out of the blocks at the sound of the gun. Instantly, Megumi and Ryoko Itsume took the early lead as they raced neck and neck towards their teammates.

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Akane Tendo stood on the balls of her feet, ready to start running and accept the handoff of the baton.

'This is it. Your whole track career comes down to this race. I feel better than I have in years. Make it happen, you can do it. For all that Ranma's done for me, for him and my teammates, make it happen.'

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Digging deep inside herself, Megumi found that little bit extra she needed to pull slightly in front of Ryoko, and as she came up on Akane, she extended her hand forward. Entering the handoff zone, Akane was already in full stride when she felt the baton hit the palm of her hand. Never a fluid runner, Akane pumped her arms as fast and as hard as she could, bearing down on her teeth as she ran the race of her life.

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Harumi bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, swung her arms around in a large circular fashion, and rolled her head around several times before getting in position. _'Loose, loose, must stay loose. Clean handoff, fluid motions.'_

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While Akane couldn't build on the lead Megumi provided, she was able to hold off Yui Masamoto, her chief rival, as she closed in on Harumi.

Harumi gave a half skip, then broke into a run, her hand held back, waiting for the handoff of the baton. Feeling the baton hit her hand, she slipped into her normal, long fluid stride.

While noticeably shorter than Megumi, Harumi had the longest legs of any of the sprinters and almost looked like she was running in slow motion, but try as she might, Metsumi Toyota could not close the narrow gap between her and Harumi.

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Hitomi stood loose and relaxed, shaking any tension that was building up in her out of her legs and arms and snapping her head from side to side. As the race started, she felt the sudden rush of adrenaline course through her veins as her movements became more deliberate. When she saw Megumi hand off the baton to Akane, and watched the most heralded and beloved member of the Kamakura-Kita High School girls track team run the race of her life, she smiled inwardly and positioned herself, planting her set foot firmly on the track surface. Watching Harumi's long fluid stride, her smile grew in anticipation of receiving the baton.

'This is it, Van, 100 meters to go and I'll be back in your arms again. Just 100 meters to go.'

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As Harumi closed in, she started to run, extending her hand back to receive the baton across her palm, but what she felt caused her to turn her head back in time to see Harumi falling to the ground. Just as the junior was reaching out with the baton to hand it to her, the girl's ankle buckled, sending her to the ground. In desperation she stretched flat out to get the baton into Hitomi's hand. The end of it brushed against Hitomi's fingers as it began to slip away. Hitomi slowed down instantly in a desperate attempt to hold onto the baton. Grasping it with her fingers, she strained to hold onto it, but as she brought her arm forward, the baton slipped through her fingers and flew out ahead of her. As if frozen in time, she watched the baton tumble head over heels as it slowly descended to the ground. In that instant, Hitomi saw all the hopes and dreams of the entire track team, as well as her whole school, vanish as her heart sank and all thoughts of Van vanished.

It is sometimes said that reality can be stranger than fiction, and what happened next would surely qualify, for just as it seemed that the Kamakura-Kita track team's quest for its first Fall Prefectural Track and Field Championship in over 20 years had slipped away, the most remarkable thing occurred. The baton struck the ground at just the right angle that all its energy and momentum reversed itself and it sprang back up into the air, back at the rapidly approaching Hitomi Kanzaki. Hitomi's eyes widened in shock as the baton seemed to leap back into her hand.

Without missing a beat, she caught it in full stride and continued around the turn and into the straightaway. As she did, she could see she was at least two strides behind Ruri Hayamoto; the girl she beat in the 100-meter finals by only 0.01 seconds.

While truly lucid thoughts are nearly impossible when the body is exerted in this way, one thought was clear in Hitomi's mind.

'_Win! I must win! ...Win! I must win! ...'_

For the second time that day, Hitomi ran the race of her life, digging deep within herself to find that little extra something, that extra will to win that only the truly great athletes possess the ability to do, and in the span of 50 meters, she pulled past Ruri Hayamoto.

As she crossed the finish line in first place, Hitomi felt a sudden rush of excitement wash over her despite the burning sensation in her lungs and the intense heavy pain in her legs, but the euphoria of her spectacular victory was swept away when realization sank in; the realization that she won this race without visualizing Van, without feeling him cheering her on, without him waiting for her at the finish line. A sober, somewhat sad expression played upon her face. _'I did this on my own. I outran Ruri all on my own.'_

She wanted to fall to the ground and cry, but she was engulfed by her teammates as they rushed over and enveloped her in an embrace.

"You did it! You did it, Hitomi!" they screamed with excitement.

"You were amazing, Hitomi!" Harumi yelled, ignoring the pain in her ankle.

"I thought we lost for sure when Harumi twisted her ankle and fell right as she was handing off the baton to you," Akane added.

"Good god, Hitomi, you must have been born under a lucky star. I've never seen a baton bounce like that in my whole life."

Turning to look at the leader board, they waited for the final time to flash. One minute passed, then two, then five, as the judges concurred to determine if losing hold of the baton, then recovering it as Hitomi did was grounds for disqualification. After ten more minutes of deliberation, the final rankings and times appeared in the leader board to the cheers of the Kamakura-Kita student body and its supporters.  
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1st Kamakura-Kita48.58.........................................................New Prefectural Record

2nd East Yokohama48.61

3rd Fujisawa49.62

4th Kawasaki49.89

5th West Yokohama50.02

6th Yamato51.11

7th Yokosuka52.37

8th Odawara54.12  
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"Woo Hoo!!!!" Three members of the Kamakura-Kita girls' relay team jumped up and down with excitement while Hitomi's heart ached. As they pulled her along to join the rest of their teammates, all Hitomi could think was, _'This changes everything. I actually do have some talent. It's not just Van that made it possible for me to excel, I actually have the ability in myself. Why did I have to find this out about myself now? Why now?'_

---

Under the dim glow of the safety lights, Hitomi and Yukari made their way across the sports field at their high school over to the utility shed. They walked across the field in silence, Yukari stealing a concerned glance over at her friend every few moments.

Pulling out her keys from her pocket, Yukari unlocked the utility shed and pulled the door open. "Now where did I put them?" She squinted in the dark, looking from one side to the other. "I wish I remembered to bring a flashlight. Oh, there they are." She reached down and picked up the two duffle bags that were hidden behind several bags of sand. Picking them up, she walked back out of the shed and deposited them at the feet of her somber friend. Looking up at Hitomi with a broad smile, Yukari expected some type of positive reaction, but when several moments passed and none was forthcoming, she quietly sighed and turned to relock the door.

Turning around abruptly, Yukari planted her fists on her hips and demanded, "Now what's wrong?"

"Huh?" Hitomi looked up with eyes filled with sadness.

"What is wrong with you? The way you're acting you'd think we finished dead last at the Prefectural Championships. You'd think you ran the worst times of your life instead of the best."

Hitomi just stared at her friend for several long minutes before reaching down and picking up her bags, saying, "You wouldn't understand," before walking towards the field.

Yukari gasped in shock, standing dumb-founded for a moment before recovering and running after her moody friend. "Don't blow me off like that," she yelled. "Hey, did you hear me?" She reached out and grabbed Hitomi by the shoulder, causing the girl to turn suddenly, dropping the bag she was carrying in that arm.

"Talk to me, Hitomi. Tell me what's bothering you," the red-haired girl pleaded.

With her head hung low, Hitomi slowly sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Softly she whispered, "I ran the relay without thinking of Van, without visualizing Van."

Yukari stared at her friend without saying a word, without so much as blinking until her eyes finally screamed for moisture. Taking a long thoughtful blink, Yukari opened her eyes and asked, "You what?"

Looking up at her friend, Hitomi cried, "Every race I've run this season, I ran as if I were running to Van, running for Van. I assumed it was my love for Van that allowed me to be so successful. It was what motivated me to do my very best all the time and push myself beyond my true limits." She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "But during the relay race, because of the messed up handoff, my mind was only on winning. I didn't think of Van at all."

Again, Yukari stared blankly at her friend, finally responding with just one word. "So?"

Rising to her feet, Hitomi swiped her eyes dry once again. "I knew you wouldn't understand." She picked up her bags again and turned to walk away.

Gasping in utter astonishment, Yukari raised her hands over her head and yelled, "Understand what?" before she stormed after her friend again. Pulling up next to the taller girl, she continued, "Understand that you're upset because you managed to run the fastest anchor leg in the history of the Prefectural Championships? Understand that it wasn't your boyfriend that made it possible? What?"

"No!" Hitomi came to a sudden halt and turned towards her friend. "Don't you see? I thought what made me special was Van, my love for Van."

"So, you've found out that you're a great runner even without thinking about Van. Why is that such a problem?" The redhead desperately tried to understand.

"Because! Because," Hitomi started crying again as she lowered herself down onto her knees, "if I ran the way I did because of Van, that would make walking away from here that much easier. But if I did it on my own, if I really am capable of running the hundred in twelve o'nine, then... then ..."

"How far off is a sub-twelve second time," Yukari whispered as realization finally set in.

"No Japanese woman has ever run under twelve seconds in international competition. The national record for the woman's 100 is 12.02, and that was set just two years ago. The National Track and Field Committee hasn't even seen fit to send a woman sprinter to an international meet in over ten years. If I can run a sub-twelve second hundred, they'd have to send me, they'd insist on it," Hitomi explained soberly.

Yukari crouched down next to the young track star. "I don't know what to say." The team manager lowered her head onto her knees and whispered, "I guess being the best at anything: academics, art, athletics; always comes with added responsibility."

Hitomi lowered her head even more.

"But the burden isn't your alone to bear. Ruri Hayamoto was just one one-hundredth of a second slower then you. She has just as good a chance to break twelve seconds as you," Yukari reasoned.

"But she's a senior, she's already nineteen years old. Even if she breaks twelve seconds, how much under twelve will she go?" Hitomi countered.

"You're right. She's been running under 12.20 since the Spring Season of her third year, and she still hasn't been able to run under 12.10." Yukari paused. "Well, the sprints have never been a strong event for Japanese women, but you can change all that. Face it, Hitomi, you're a prodigy."

"But I don't want to change all that. I don't want to be a prodigy. I just want to be with Van." She buried her face in her hands and wept, her body quivering with each tear shed.

Yukari went painfully still as a sad, pained expression overtook her watching her friend cry. Suddenly, a panicked expression crossed her face and she lurched forward. "You're not planning on staying in Gaea, are you?"

Hitomi slowly raised her head ever so slightly and looked up at the redhead through hooded eyes.

"Hitomi, you can't!" Yukari grabbed the forlorn girl by the shoulders. "Think of your family. Think of your friends. Think of me!" A tear rolled down the red haired girl's cheek. "You're my best friend, Hitomi. I'm not ready to lose you." She threw her arms around the sandy haired girl. "I'm not ready to lose you. Not now."

Hitomi held her friend close as the redhead's tears chased away her own.

After several minutes, Yukari slowly pulled away and looked up into her friend's sad eyes. "We don't know for sure what will happen. Let's just take it one day at a time. Maybe you'll become Japan's first great female sprinter, or maybe you've reached your limit and you won't run any faster than you already have. Who knows? But you can't just throw it all away because you're afraid, afraid of being something special."

Looking deeply into Yukari's eyes, the young track star gave a subtle nod, then a weak smile. "Okay... okay, Yukari. I'll be back, I promise."

"My room, tomorrow morning, right?" the redhead questioned.

"That's the plan." Hitomi nodded.

"Well," picking up the larger of the two bags, the shorter girl stood up and offered a hand to her friend, "Van is waiting for you."

Offering a more genuine smile, the young track star took the redhead's hand and rose to her feet. Picking up her other bag and slinging the strap over her shoulder, she nodded. "Right. Let's go."

Silently, they walked to the middle of the track. Setting the bags down, Yukari hugged her friend once again. "Remember, you have people to care about you here too, Hitomi."

Smiling, Hitomi pressed her forehead against her friend's. "I know. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

As Yukari stepped back, Hitomi sat down and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated on the one who consumed her every waking thought for the past three months.

Staring intently at her friend, Yukari watched as in no time she was engulfed in a pillar of light, and as she began to ascend, reached out and took hold of her bags, then disappeared up into the sky.

"Come back to us, Hitomi. We love you, we all love you," Yukari said softly as tears rolled down her cheeks.  
  
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AN: Sorry for the long delay. I was sidetracked for a time, writing a story for a fanfic contest where I wrote a short story for Nadesico and came in third place. Not too bad for my first contest. I should be posting that story soon. As for this story, well, it took long enough, but Hitomi is finally on her way back to Gaea. By the way, I just noticed that this is the longest chapter I've written to date. But don't get too used to it. I prefer keeping my chapters shorter, but hopefully not as short as when I started.

I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who has been reviewing my story over the past few chapters. I've been averaging over 20 reviews per chapter, and you have no idea how very heartwarming that is. It makes me so happy to know that I'm able to please so many people. Thank you all, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

As always, I want to extend a big thank you to my wonderful beta-reader and friend, Janice. I can't begin to tell you all just how wonderful she really is. She's just great. Thanks so much, Janice.

A. Amishi


	88. Chapter 88

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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AN: The song that Hitomi plays on her boom box is the sixth track from the RahXephon Original Sound Track CD. If you can get your hands on the RahXephon Soundtrack, I would highly recommend that you do. Track 1, which is the opening to each episode of that series, was written and arranged by none other than Kanno Yoko with lyrics by Iwasato Yuuho and sung by the incomparable Maaya Sakamoto. Track 6, KATUN no sadame (Katun's Fate, in English) had both music and lyrics written by Hashimoto Ichiko, who also arranged the music and sang it too. KATUN no sadame is a love song that the main heroine in RahXephon, Haruka Shitow, constantly listens to because it reminds her of her long, supposedly, lost love. I was listening to the RahXephon Soundtrack while I was writing this chapter and while Track 1, Hemisphere, is one of my favorite songs, I felt like track 6, KATUN no sadame, was just the kind of song that would fit perfectly in the dance scene later in the chapter. If you have a chance to listen to that song, I hope you agree.

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Chapter 88

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Van Slanzar de Fanel, Ruler of the Kingdom of Fanelia, stood at the clearing in the garden behind the castle. The sun had set several hours earlier and stars filled the night sky. He gazed up at the Mystic Moon and recited the words that had become his mantra, "Hitomi, return to me. Tonight is the night we both agreed upon. Return to me, Hitomi, return to me..." 

While the expression on his face remained placid, his heart raced in anticipation of being reunited with his one true love. Focusing on the Mystic Moon, his thoughts centered on his beloved, the young king gradually started feeling a surge of warmth as a sense of peace washed over him. His vision began to cloud over as his eyes grew very heavy. In his mind's eye, he could see her standing in the midst of a large field of tall grass. She turned towards him and smiled. He walked up to her and enveloped her in his arms, holding her close. Suddenly, they were atop Fanelia Castle, standing hand in hand, looking out over the city. Then, in an instant, they were in the woods on horseback, riding side by side. With each vision, Van's sense of joy grew in anticipation of the imminent arrival of his beloved.

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But just as suddenly, the scenery changed dramatically as flaming guymelefs and charred bodies covered the landscape. In the distance he could see a handful of Zaibach melefs being pursued off field by a slightly larger number of Fanelia melefs, and right before him lay the brutally dismembered remains of at least twenty Zaibach melefs.

"Escaflowne, I'm inside Escaflowne," he realized. Looking to his left, then to his right, Van searched for signs of life, indications that he and the handful of melef soldiers were not all that stood of the Fanelian Army, but all he saw was death.

Gasping in terror as the most horrifying thought imaginable overwhelmed the young king, he cried out in desperation, "HITOMI!!! HITOMI!!!" But he received no response. Turning around, he started to cry out once again, "HITO! ... mi." He felt his throat seize up on him as he saw his devastated army lying on the battlefield.

"Sir Beckett!" he cried out. "Captain Cid! Captain Leopold!"

He took a cautious step. "Anybody!" Moving more swiftly now, he searched for any signs of life. "Beckett! Leopold! Anybody! Anybody... anybody." His voice was barely above a whisper as he lowered Escaflowne down to its knees, its head and shoulders hung low, serving as a mirror image of how its pilot felt.

Van looked up abruptly when he heard a faint voice call out weakly, "Lord Van."

He looked side to side, trying to identify the direction from which the voice was coming.

"Lord Van, down here," the voice said weakly.

Looking down, he saw a catgirl who looked almost exactly like Naria, except her fur was orange with black strips, and she was wearing the battle armor of an elite soldier of Fanelia. Armor no member of his army had earned the right to wear as of yet. Armor that was badly damaged and covered in blood.

'_Who is this? Who could this be?'_ Van pondered, but before he could ask these questions, the catgirl spoke again. "Lord Van, is that really you?" she asked through hooded eyes.

The face shield went up revealing the face of the king.

The catgirl's eyes widened a bit as a smile danced across her face. "Oh, Lord Van, I knew you'd find me."

Looking deeply into the girl's eyes, the young king saw something hauntingly familiar.

"Merle?" Instantly, the hatch opened and Van jumped out of Escaflowne, rushing to Merle's side. "Merle, what happened? Why are you here?" he asked urgently but softly as he cradled her badly injured body in his arms. As she winced in pain, Van drew her closer and whispered gently, "Forget it, it doesn't matter. Finding help is all that matters now. Don't worry, Merle. I'll get you to a healer in no time. You're going to be all right. You'll see." He offered her a weak smile as tears rolled down his cheeks.

She smiled up at him and whispered, "It's too late for a healer now. But don't cry for me, Lord Van. I can't think of a better way to die then in the defense of the country I love and in your arms." She struggled to raise her hand up to touch his face, but lacked the strength to reach him.

Seeing what she was trying to do, Van reached down, took her hand into his, and raised it to his cheek.

"I love you, Lord Van, I always have, I always will." She smiled briefly, but now even that simple action caused her pain. "But no one can ever love you more that our Queen. Find her, Lord Van. I tried to keep her away, but she wouldn't hear of it. She insisted on coming. She's here somewhere, I know it." She coughed and blood spewed out of her mouth. "Find her, Lord Van, find the Queen."

Surrendering the last bit of air still in her lungs, Merle's body went limp and her eyes closed for the last time as her hand slipped out of Van's.

"Merle?" Van whispered. "Merle. Don't leave me." He pulled her close and wept upon her shoulder. "Don't leave me, Merle. Don't leave me... don't leave me." His shoulders trembled with the power of his sobs.

After several minutes, the king's tears subsided and he gently laid his childhood friend on the ground. Wiping his face dry with the back of his hand, Van rose to his feet and offered up a prayer for the girl who loved him longer than anyone he'd ever known.

Then he said, "I'll do as you said, Merle. I'll find her, I'll protect her." Walking out across the battlefield, Van called out the name of the only person he could possible imagine as his queen.

"HITOMI!!!" he shouted as he searched.

"HITOMI!!!" Running to and fro across the field, he called out desperately, "HITOMI!!!"

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"Van, I'm right here." Hitomi clutched him by his shoulders and shook him firmly. "Van, snap out of it."

The young king's eyes, which had been transfixed as if in a trance, blinked back to life. Looking down and seeing the woman he loved filled him with an overwhelming sense of relief.

"Hitomi." He reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Oh, Hitomi. I thought I'd lost you." He held her tight and lowered his head onto her shoulder.

"Van?" Hitomi gasped in shock, embracing him with her right hand and gently caressing his head with her left. Feeling his whole body softly quake against hers, she refrained from asking him what was troubling him and instead comforted him as best she could, holding him close and whispering words of reassurance to him.

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With Hitomi's bags flung over Van's right shoulder, they walked silently, hand in hand, to her chambers.

Finally, Van spoke, "I guess you're planning on staying for some time." He glanced at the bags, then offered her a warm, inviting smile.

Hitomi glanced over at Van and blushed. "Well, I did bring some gifts for you and Merle, and a few things I was planning on leaving behind."

"Oh." Van's smile vanished.

"But I was hoping to stay at least a month, maybe longer." She smiled up at him.

"I'd like that." His smile returned as he tightened his hold on her.

Upon arriving at Hitomi's chambers, Van unlocked the door and handed her the key. "Here." He smiled, following her in and observing her as she let her eyes travel about the room, remembering every detail of it.

"It's exactly the same." She grinned as her eyes traveled from the changing curtain to the vanity table, from the chifforobe to the mirrored dresser, and all the items she left upon it. "Except the blanket." She ran her hand over the bedspread. "And the curtains," she added, looking up at the window.

"You remember everything," Van smiled. "The sheets and the curtains in every bedroom throughout the castle were changed last week with the colder nights of the Blue Moon approaching," Van explained as he set the bags on the bed.

"Oh, that's alright, the floor is fine." Hitomi grabbed the strap of one of the bags. "I'll go through them tomorrow."

Placing his hand over hers, Van nodded. "All right." Then he gently slipped the strap from her hand and placed the two bags on the floor at the foot of the bed.

Hitomi smiled and fell back onto the bed. "Mmm... I forgot how comfortable this bed is."

"I should say goodnight now. You've had a big day, you must be tired," the raven-haired youth said, but made no move to leave.

"No!" Hitomi bolted back upright. "I'm fine, really." Her eyes pleaded with him to stay.

Van nodded with a smile, but suggested, "It may be a good idea if you change, just in case you do get tired suddenly."

It was Hitomi's turn to nod. Sliding off the bed, she headed for the dresser and opened the bottom right drawer. Rummaging through the small assortment of nightgowns she had to choose from, she pulled out her favorite one and pushed the drawer closed. Turning to face Van, she held up her index finger and said with a beaming smile, "I'll only be one minute, so don't go away." Then she spun around on the balls of her left foot and darted behind the changing curtain.

The young king smiled to himself, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. Hitomi's playful nature did not escape his attention, nor did her selection. _'Perhaps we will kiss before the night is through. Heaven knows how much I wanted to make her lips mine the moment she arrived... but that waking dream... or was it a vision?'_ His light-hearted smile vanished, replaced by a dark, pensive stare. _'No, it couldn't be. I don't possess that ability... still, it felt so real. By the gods, I pray it wasn't real.'_

Fortunately, the young king was freed from his dark thoughts when the emerald-eyed girl walked out from behind the curtain. The vision of beauty in a traditional Fanelian nightgown captured his heart in an instant, especially the way she wore it with the collar pulled just off her shoulders. Standing up abruptly, he whispered, "Oh, Hitomi."

Smiling faintly, she asked, "So, what do you think?"

Van stepped close to her. "Hitomi, you're even more beautiful than I remember you being."

Blushing slightly, she curtsied and bowed her head, saying, "Thank you, my King," still holding that position.

"Hitomi," Van knelt down and took her hand. "You don't need to act so formal around me." He smiled and stood back up, bring her up with him.

Giggling silently as her face turned a bright pink, Hitomi replied, "I'm sorry, Van, I got carried away. Huh..." She all but froze as she found herself standing a breath away from the man she loved, who was staring intently into her eyes, allowing his vision to travel only momentarily to look upon the other parts of her face: her nose, her cheeks, her forehead, her chin, and her lips. Her pink, perfect lips called to him, beckoned him to touch them, taste them, take them.

"Hitomi..."

"Yes, Van..." she whispered breathlessly.

"May I kiss your lips?"

She didn't bother to respond with words, instead letting her actions speak for her as she rose up onto her toes and pressed her lips against his, bringing her hands up around his neck, pulling his head down to meet her fully.

Van offered no resistance as he brought his arms around her waist, pulling her into a loving embrace.

'_Oh god, how I've missed this.'_ Hitomi moaned softly as she parted her lips and invited Van to do the same.

'_Oh, how I've wanted Hitomi in my arms like this for so long.'_ Van moaned as well, accepting his lover's invitation, parting his lips and allowing his tongue to explore the sweet peppermint taste of Hitomi's mouth.

If it were possible to pour three long months of pent up passion and desire into a single kiss, this was that kiss. Hitomi and Van remained locked in their passionate embrace for several long minutes, neither wanting this moment to end.

'_I feel warm all over, and yet, Van's touch is like fire on my skin, even through my nightgown. His body is as warm as mine, no warmer. Oh, Van, I love you so much. Van, I've missed you so very much.' _Tears trickled downher cheeks as they escaped her closed eyes.

Feeling the additional warm moisture around their mouths caused Van to pull away and look down at his lover's flushed and tear stained face. "What's wrong, Hitomi? Why are you crying?" he whispered as he brought his right hand up and gently wiped away her tears.

Hitomi sighed with a smile as she sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her index finger. Shaking her head slightly, she answered, "No, nothing's wrong," she reassured him. "I'm just happy." She looked up into his deep, dark eyes. "I've missed you so much, Van. Please tell me this isn't a dream and I won't wake up tomorrow to find myself all alone again, like I was each morning for the past three months." She ran the tips of her fingers along his cheek and nose on down over his lips and chin.

Tilting his head down, Van kissed the back of her fingers. "I don't know if this is a dream or not, but if it is a dream, I never want to wake from it."

"Oh Van," she sighed and rose up on her toes once again to bring her lips up to his.

Without hesitation, the raven-haired king brought his lips to hers to continue their passionate kiss.

After several long minutes, they allowed their lips to separate but remained locked in their embrace, their eyes closed and standing cheek to cheek.

"I love you, Hitomi. I wish I had a better way of saying it to you. I wish I were more articulate, more poetic, so I could recite sonnets of my own making to you. But I'm only a warrior, and my sword is my instrument. I can't write you beautiful words or sing you a love song, but I promise to always protect you. It's not much, but it's all I can do for you," Van confessed, holding her tenderly in his arms.

"I love you as well, Van. With all my heart, I love you," she whispered in his ear.

They remained in their loving embrace for several minutes longer, but as their body temperatures returned to normal, Hitomi shivered ever so slightly.

Van looked down into her soft adoring eyes and smiled. "Let me get you your robe."

Nodding, the emerald-eyed girl slowly released him. As he walked to the chifforobe to retrieve her evening robe, Hitomi suddenly felt the cool night air invade her chest and abdomen, which had been pressed up against Van's warm body. Blushing slightly, she crossed her arms over her chest to conceal her nipples, which pressed against the fabric of the nightgown.

Returning with a white and yellow robe, Van walked behind her and held it open so she could place her arms into the sleeves. Hitomi moved her right arm so it would conceal her chest properly, then slid her left arm through the sleeve and pulled the front of the robe across her chest so she could slide her right arm into the sleeve. As she adjusted the robe, Van began securing the wide blue sash around her waist several times before securing it in a bow from behind.

"There we go." He smiled, then walked around to face his guest. "Better?"

"Mmm," she nodded. "It's nice and warm. Thank you." She took a step to the side so she could look at Van's handy work in the mirror of the dresser. "See, Van, you can do more than just wield a sword." She chuckled lightly, covering her mouth with her hand as her laughter went all the way up to her eyes.

"Well," Van folded his arms across his chest, "Glad I could be of some use to you."

"Oh, Van." Hitomi walked up to him, placing her hands upon his chest. Gone was the playful expression, replaced by a genuine expression of love. "Actually, there is something that you do wonderfully. Something we did once before and I've wanted to do with you again, especially since you told me about the festival. Van, will you dance with me?"

Smiling, the young king answered, "I'd love to dance with you, Hitomi, but we don't have any music. I suppose I could order the court musicians..."

"That won't be necessary." Hitomi walked over to her duffle bag and zipped it open. Moving a few things around, she finally found the two items she was looking for. She pulled them out and stood back up.

"What is that?" Van approached cautiously.

"This is my mini-boom box." She showed it to him, then walked over to the dresser and set it down. "Basically, it's a radio and a CD player. It sounds pretty good for being so small." Then she held up the small yellow case she held in her other hand. "And these are some of my CDs."

"CDs?" Van scratched his head in confusion. "Oh, you mean like those things you gave Millerna for her coronation?"

"Yeah." Hitomi opened the case and searched for something appropriate for the moment, then pulled out a disk. "See, this a compact disk." She held it up for him to see as he came to stand next to her. Then she pressed the OPEN button on the player and the top popped open. "You place the disk like this." After inserting the disk, she pushed the top closed, then pressed the control buttons to get to the one song she wanted and set it to replay. A moment later the music started coming out of the box.

A soft and gentle song filled the room, and while Van did not understand the lyrics, he knew that it was meant for a moment like this. Hitomi turned towards him and smiled. Her smile grew as he stepped forward and took her right hand into his left, placing his right hand upon her waist. For her part, Hitomi positioned her right hand appropriately to make it easy for Van to lead her, and she rested her left hand upon his shoulder. In perfect step they began to dance to the beat and rhythm of the music. Staring deeply into each other's eyes, they danced about the room.

When the song was in the middle of playing for the second time, Van asked tenderly, "What is she saying?"

This was one of Hitomi's favorite CDs, and over the past three months, she had listened to this particular song over and over again. While it did not perfectly fit their unique situation, it expressed the feelings of love and longing she felt for him so completely; it had become, in her mind, their song. She knew the lyrics by heart and picked up in perfect harmony with the song.

"_**If you open your heart and close your eyes**_

_**Surely you'll understand**_

_**The day is near when everything will perish**_

**_But this love will continue on forever,"_** she sang.

Van leaned forward and gently kissed Hitomi at the top of her forehead.

Hitomi moved a little closer to Van and rested her head upon his chest as they continued to dance to the slow haunting melody.

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While the song played for the fourth time, Hitomi stumbled slightly but was quickly caught by Van. "Oh, sorry," she apologized as she straightened up.

"It's all right," he assured her. "But perhaps you should get some sleep now."

She sighed sadly but nodded in agreement. Walking over to the CD player, she stopped it and turned it off. Turning back around towards Van, she asked with a bit of trepidation, "Van, w-would you spend the night with me?"

"Hitomi?" The young king's eyes went wide and his cheeks burned a bright red.

"Oh, not like that! I just..." she turned away for a moment, staring at the bed. "It's just... you helped me get to sleep so many nights while we were apart by having me envision you holding me in your arms. I just... I just wanted to go to sleep once, feeling the real thing." She turned back towards him to see his placid expression. "I'm sorry, Van. I'm being silly. It's not like me to be so bold."

"I'd love to help you get to sleep." He walked up to her. "I'd love to hold you in my arms till you've fallen asleep." Taking her hand, Van led her to the bed and pulled back the sheets. "Here, let me help you with the robe."

"Oh," she turned her back to him to allow him to undo the bow.

Removing the sash, Van draped it over the headboard, then helped Hitomi remove the robe and placed it on the headboard as well. Turning around to sit on the bed, the emerald-eyed girl slipped off her slippers, swung her legs up onto the bed, under the sheets, and slid over to make room for Van. Van sat down as well and pulled off his boots before sliding onto the bed, under the covers next to the woman he loved. He turned on his side to face her and was a little surprised when Hitomi, who had been watching him intently, rolled away from him. It wasn't until she said, "This is how I always imagine you're holding me," that he smiled in understanding.

"That's right." He slid in close and slid his arms around her waist, caressing her abdomen. "You've lost weight," he observed, his fingers gently tracing over her well-toned midsection.

"Mmm." She nuzzled back up against him and placed her hands over his. "It happens during the track season... but the season's over now. I don't have to worry about running again until next spring." She smiled, allowing her eyes to drift shut.

"Mmmm, your hair smells nice. Like... apples, green apples." He smiled and closed his eyes, enjoying the scent of the woman in his arms.

"Mmm, it's my shampoo," she whispered, already beginning to drift off. After a long pause, she added in a whispery voice, "I love you, Van."

Rubbing his cheek against the back of her head, Van replied softly, "I love you more... my love."

Within seconds both were sound asleep.

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AN: Well, this turned out much longer than I had originally intended it to be, but I'm happy with it. I hope you enjoyed it. It felt so good to be writing about Van and Hitomi together again.

Now the question you should be asking is: Was what Van saw just a waking nightmare, or was it a vision of the future? Only time will tell, but it won't be resolved anytime soon, that I can assure you. But don't get too hung up on it, there's lots of other things that will take place meanwhile, some very important things too.

I hope you could all find the song I referred you to at the beginning of this chapter. It's really a lovely song, and I think fits very appropriately with the moment.

On a personal note, I'll be attending my second anime convention for the year this weekend. It is Anime Reactor, the second Chicago area convention. Not nearly as big as ACEN, but a con nonetheless. I'm hoping the Escaflowne Perfect Collection will be available at the exhibition hall there so I can finally purchase my own copy of this amazing show.

As always, I'd like to take a moment to thank my totally amazing and awesome beta-reader, Janice. She really helps me look good by doing an amazing job of editing for me. Thank you so very much, Janice. I love you so very much.

And I'd like to thank you, all of my wonderful readers. You bring me such joy each time I read how much you've enjoyed what I've written. You give me the inspiration I need to keep writing. Thank you all so very much. I love you all.

A. Amishi


	89. Chapter 89

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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Chapter 89

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Hitomi's Chambers at Fanelia Castle

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Van woke up with a start, his brow covered in droplets of perspiration and his jaw clenched tightly. The sight of the strange ceiling he found himself staring up at enhanced his momentary disorientation.

'_Where am I? And why is it so hard to breath?'_

As if it were intended as an answer to his silent inquiry, Hitomi sighed softly as she snuggled further up his chest, her arms resting comfortably over his shoulders.

Tilting his head downward, Van only saw his true love's sandy brown hair, which took on a pale blue hue in the thin stream of moonlight that filtered in between the curtains. Straining a bit more, he caught a glimpse of her tranquil angelic face. Seeing her sleep so peacefully brought a smile to his face.

'_It was just a nightmare, nothing but a dream,'_ he assured himself as he wrapped his arms tightly around the sleeping teenager. _'I could get used to this.'_ He inhaled deeply, once again catching the scent of green apples in her hair. _'Her hair smells different than it did before.'_ He inhaled yet again. _'I like it. It suits her,'_ he smiled. Slowly, he allowed his eyes to drift closed once again as his breathing gradually became regular and deep.

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Always a light sleeper, Van was roused from his peaceful slumber by the songs of the morning sparrows. Once again, he found himself on his side with Hitomi in his arms, but this time she was facing him, her head gently tucked under his chin and her arms around his waist with her hands clasped together at the small of his back. Smiling, he gently pulled her close and tilted his head to rub his cheek against the top of her head. Sleep was no longer a possibility for him. It was morning now, though dawn was still a few hours away, and sleep was the last thing on his mind. He had just had the most restful night's sleep he had had in over three months, despite the nightmare which had woken him in the middle of the night. Now he was ready for the day. But he remembered what Hitomi had told him about how tired traveling between worlds had made her now that she could control when she would arrive. While he hoped she would awaken shortly, he knew not to be surprised if she slept all day long, perhaps even more than a day.

'_It's all right, Hitomi. You get all the rest you need. We have more than enough time to spend together.'_ He slid his hand up her back to just below her shoulder blades. He sighed sadly as his fingers ran over her ribcage. "So thin," he whispered, bringing his lips down upon her soft, sweet smelling hair.

Closing his eyes, he listened intently to Hitomi's gentle breathing, the feel of her warm breath upon his chest and the sensation of the gentle expansion under his hands caused by the intake of air into her lungs.

'I've never imagined experiencing something as simple as this could bring me so much joy.'

He kissed the top of her head again and indulged himself with another whiff of her fragrant hair. "Mmmm..." A broad smile crossed his face, but slowly the smile faded as he allowed himself to recall the nightmare, which had woken him so suddenly. "Merle..." sadness crossed his expression and his heart.

While the nightmare had a more dream-like quality to it than the waking dream he had just before Hitomi's arrival, it was still just as disturbing to him. _'Why am I seeing us at war with Zaibach again? They've shown no hostility towards us since Dornkirk's death. Why is Merle there, dressed in a knight's armor, and why does she look so... so... different... so... mature?' _He sighed and gently rubbed his cheek against the top of Hitomi's head.

"I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you, Hitomi. You mean everything to me. You mean more to me than life itself." He caressed her back tenderly. "But Merle means a lot to me as well. She's been with me for almost as long as I can remember. She's the only family I have left. Next to you, she's the most important person in my life."

Hitomi let out a gentle sigh and nuzzled closer to Van. The young king raised his hand and stroked her silky soft hair, which elicited another sigh from her.

"I'm sorry for troubling you with such talk, Hitomi," he whispered softly. "I'm sure there's no need for concern. I'm certain it was just a dream." He held her tight. "Sleep now, Hitomi, my love. Sleep."

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After lying in each other's arms for about another hour, Hitomi gently sighed and rolled over, out of Van's grasp. The young king raised a curious eyebrow at first, but slowly a smile crept its way across his lips and up to his eyes. He leaned over her and softly whispered, "I'll be back shortly, Hitomi... my love." Then he pressed a tender kiss upon her cheek.

Cautiously, Van slid out of bed and grabbed his boots. Walking towards the door, he pulled the servant's cord to summon the chambermaid, then he quietly left the room.

As he walked down the hallway, he saw one of the young maids approaching him quickly.

"Coragema."

"Good morning, Lord Van." She bowed. "Did you summon me?"

"Yes," he replied. "The Lady Hitomi has returned to us."

"Oh, really my Lord? That's wonderful news!" The young maid made no effort to conceal her excitement. "Shall I draw a bath for her?"

"That won't be necessary. The Lady is still sleeping, in fact, she might remain asleep most of the day," the king replied.

"Oh?"

"But in case she does wake up, I don't want her waking up all alone. Stay with her till I return. If she awakens before then, send word to me immediately. Do you understand?" he asked.

"Yes, my Lord." The maid curtsied, then quickly made her way to Hitomi's chambers.

Stopping only for a moment in his chambers to deposit his boots, Van made his way towards the stairway to head down to the lower level in order to take a bath, but as he reached the stairs, he took a glance back and reconsidered his actions. Turning, he walked back down the hallway.

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Quietly, Van opened the bedroom door and peered in. The small figure under the covers lay motionless save for her rapid, shallow pants. The young king smiled while letting out a breath he did not realize he had been holding. _'She's fine... of course she's fine. Why wouldn't she be?'_ Compelled to take a closer look, Van walked into the room, closing the door behind him.

Walking across the room and next to her bed, he sat down beside her and watched the young catgirl sleep.

'_Oh Merle... please, don't ever change.'_ He stifled a silent laugh and rubbed his hand over his mouth. _'What a childish request,'_ he acknowledged. _'Of course, she'll grow and change,'_ he said with a smile but the smile slowly faded. "Promise you'll always be by my side, Merle," he whispered almost silently as he gently brushed the few strands of hair from her cheek.

Merle, who was sleeping on her back with her head tilted slightly towards his direction, suddenly licked her lips and brought her right hand out from under the covers to rub her nose. The task completed, she stretched her arm out to the side and took a single deep breath before returning to her normal pant.

Van smiled happily, deciding that his young childhood friend deserved a kiss for her unconscious antics. Leaning over her slowly, he prepared to place a soft kiss upon her forehead, but, hesitating for a moment, Van reconsidered and tilted his head to the side to place a gentle kiss upon her cheek. And as had become his habit from the countless times he had kissed Hitomi, he closed his eyes just before reaching her cheek. In that brief instant, Merle unconsciously turned her head straight and what the young king's lips pressed against felt surprisingly warm and moist.

Van's eyes few open and his cheeks burned in embarrassment. Pulling away quickly, he thought of a dozen explanations for what had just happened as he pushed himself off the bed. But to his surprise and relief, Merle's eyes remained closed and her breathing unchanged. _'She's still asleep,'_ he realized with a sigh.

The young king waited a moment longer before deciding that it was safe to turn and leave the room, but as he was about to do just that, Merle rolled on her side, away from him, and said softly, "I love you, Lord Van."

Van's blood ran cold in that instant. _'By the gods.'_ He turned and leaned slightly over the bed in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the catgirl's face, but frowned when he realized that the only way he could would be to walk around to the other side of the bed.

'_But what would I say if she is awake?'_ Shaking his head, he slowly turned and walked out of the room, closing the door silently behind him.

Without further hesitation, Van headed down the stairs to the bathing chambers. Once there, he methodically went about his normal early morning routine of placing logs in the furnace, starting the fire underneath them, then steadily pumping the bellows to add air to the fire in order to get the logs good and hot.

As he worked the bellows, Van thought about the past seven hours and the wide range of emotions he experienced during that time; feelings of anticipation and excitement over Hitomi's expected arrival, feelings of shock, fear, and deep sadness during his waking dream, feelings of relief and joy when he awoke from it to find Hitomi standing before him, feelings of hesitation and awkwardness as he and Hitomi made their way to her chambers, feelings of love and desire as he held her in his arms and kissed her passionately, feelings of peace and utter joy as he held her in his arms both while they danced and as they laid down to sleep. Van smiled as he continued to work the bellows, but his smile soon faded as the memory of his nightmare darkened his spirits.

"Hitomi... Merle..."

Lost in thought, the young king failed to pay attention to the fire as he continued to work the bellows until the flames leapt out at him.

"Aaah!" He jumped back just in time to keep from getting singed.

"I guess it's hot enough," he said as he composed himself and slid the furnace door shut. He then pulled the cord, which sent the heated water flowing into the rinse bath first. It then flowed into the wash bath. Steam rose from the water as it came in contact with the cool morning air. Van went behind the changing curtain and got undressed, then grabbed a towel and a basket of toiletries and walked over to the bath. Setting the towel down by the rinse bath, he sat down on the edge of the wash bath and placed the basket next to him.

Letting out a deep breath, Van shook his head in distress.

'_Let it go. It was just a dream. Be happy that Hitomi is with you again.'_ He sighed.

Immediately, images of Hitomi smiling up at him, dancing with him, and kissing him filled his mind. Van closed his eyes, wanting to hold onto that last memory, but the moment he did, the memory was replaced with the image of him kissing Merle.

Van's eye flew open with a gasp.

"Rrrr!" He placed his hands on either side of his head. "What's wrong with me?"

Without another word, Van let himself fall backwards into the water.

"**HOT!!!"**

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AN: I hope you enjoyed this short addition. Not much happens, but I felt it was necessary as a transition for Hitomi and to add more for Van to worry about. Things will start getting more exciting in the subsequent chapters after Hitomi finally awakens.

I'd like to take a moment and thank everyone whose reads my story and all those who have been reviewing it. You guys really brighten my day and make the writing of this story so enjoyable.

And finally a big thanks to my amazing beta-reader, Janice. Thanks for everything.

A. Amishi


	90. Chapter 90

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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Chapter 90

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In Hitomi's chambers 

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Hitomi slowly stirred, letting out a gentle moan, expressing her satisfaction with her well-deserved rest. Having been on her side, she rolled onto her back and let her hand feel about the bed next to her, but all she felt were the blankets and sheets upon the full, soft mattress. Slowly, her eyes opened and sought to confirm what her hands had already told her. _'Van, how long ago did you wake up?'_ She slowly pushed herself up, looking towards the door as a deep sense of loneliness overtook her.

"Looking for someone?"

Hitomi quickly turned her head to see the man she loved sitting in the bay window. A broad, happy smile that went all the way up to her eyes lit up the young teenage girl's face. "Van!" She tossed the blankets aside and hurried out of bed, but the cold morning air sent a shiver through her body. Turning, she pulled off the top cover and wrapped it around herself. Then went over by the window, dragging the blanket with her.

"Van…" she whispered, standing next to him.

The young king, who had been staring out the window looking over his city, had his eyes on the object of his affections from the moment she stirred. Still sitting in the bay window, his back against the left side of it, he wrapped his right arm around Hitomi's waist and pulled her close.

The girl from the Mystic Moon offered no resistance, pressing up next to her true love and resting her cheek against the side of his head. "Mmm… good morning," she said softly.

Turning his head to face her fully, Van gazed deeply into her eyes. Hitomi returned his gaze and gradually tilted her head, bringing her lips ever so slowly towards his, but Van's hunger for Hitomi's lips matched her own. Tilting his head back a bit, he met her lips, gently, tenderly at first, but their passion for each other quickly overwhelmed them. As they deepened their kiss, Van brought his left hand up, running his fingers through her soft, silky hair. They indulged themselves in a long and passionate kiss that was only interrupted when Hitomi shivered violently, causing the two young lovers to smack their teeth together.

"Ouch!" Hitomi straightened up and placed her hand over her mouth. "Sorry, Van. It's just so cold by the window," she explained.

Van smiled, then stood up and drew the heavy curtains shut. Turning towards his true love, he took her hand and said, "Come, let's sit by the fire." He walked her over to the fireplace and gestured for her to sit down on the long sofa that faced it. Then he added another log to the fire and stoked it to get the flames going again. Adjusting the flue, he returned to sit at Hitomi's side.

The girl from the Mystic Moon opened the blanket, inviting her lover to sit closely beside her, which he happily obliged.

"Mmm… that's better," she whispered, snuggling up next to him a bit more then swinging her legs across Van's lap and lying her head upon his shoulder as she wrapped her arms, along with the blanket around him.

Van gave a small start, surprised by the girl's bold behavior, but a warm smile quickly spread across his face as he held her close in a warm, loving embrace.

"Mmm… I could just stay like this forever, Van," she softly said, nuzzling up to his collarbone. "I know it's silly of me to think this way… I just…" She grew silent as she tightened her embrace a little bit more.

"It's okay, Hitomi. I've missed holding you in my arms as well. The only thing that allowed me to get to sleep each night while you were gone was the thought of holding you just like this," he whispered lovingly to her.

After sitting in peaceful silence for several minutes, Van asked, "Are you hungry at all? I could have a meal brought here for you. You know, you've been asleep for two days and three nights," he informed her.

Hitomi ran her hands over his back and pressed the bridge of her nose up against the side of Van's throat as she struggled to keep from letting her tears escape her eyes. "That long?"

"Mmm hmm. I tried to wake you. I even had the castle healer take a look at you, but he said the best thing to do was just let you sleep."

"Mmm… I see. Well, actually, I'm not really hungry right now, maybe in a little while," she replied, then nuzzled a little closer to him. "I just want to sit here next to you for now."

Van smiled and gently rubbed his cheek upon her head. "Well, you'll get no complaints from me."

Hitomi smiled. Closing her eyes, she drew a deep breath, savoring Van's fresh scent. _'I feel… I feel… like I'm finally… home.'_

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Later that morning in the castle stables

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Van and the stable hand readied the two horses and loaded the supplies for the long day's ride. The enthusiastic stable hand secured the saddle onto Hitomi's horse, then asked hesitantly, "Is Lady Hitomi really back among us, my Lord?"

Van smiled and nodded while he finished securing his saddle. "Yes, she's finally returned to us."

"Begging your Majesty's pardon. It wasn't that I doubted your word, my Lord, but Lady Hitomi usually comes to the stables with you," the boy explained in a futile attempt to conceal his excitement.

Placing the saddlebags and bedrolls that would double as picnic blankets, Van informed the youth, "Lady Hitomi should be along shortly, she said she needed to change into her riding outfit."

No sooner did those words pass the young king's lips then Hitomi appeared at the stable entrance in her Spanish equestrian outfit, her sombrero in her hand.

Van was speechless at the sight of her.

It was the young stable hand that spoke first. "Whew! You look prettier than a show pony, ma'am," he blurted out.

Hitomi couldn't help but blush and giggle softly. She held up her sombrero to conceal part of her face, replying, "Thank you, Samuel," adding mentally, _'I think.'_

"Uh… I… guess I should get about my chores." Samuel bowed low and made a hasty exit.

Hitomi walked the rest of the way into the stables. Stopping a few paces in front of Van, she turned all the way around slowly to give him the total view of the outfit, then she asked, "So Van, what do you think?" She smiled hopefully.

Having taken the time to admire his true love's slender figure in this unique outfit, Van finally replied, "Well, I don't think I have words quite as eloquent as Samuel's to describe your appearance…"

Hitomi giggled and blushed again.

Van stepped forward and took Hitomi's free hand into his. "You look stunning, absolutely incredible. Is this the type of riding outfit everyone on the Mystic Moon wears?"

Hitomi smiled happily, then shook her head. "No, this equestrian outfit is native to a country called Spain. There are a few other countries that use this type of riding outfit, but not many. It isn't really worn on a daily basis, not even in Spain. Well, not anymore, I don't think. It's usually worn for special occasions, festivals, holidays, and such."

Van smiled and asked, "So, what's the special occasion that warrants wearing such an outfit now?"

Hitomi smiled and tilted her head slightly. "Being here with you. That's always a reason to celebrate as far as I'm concerned."

Van's face took on a very serious expression as he gazed into his lover's emerald-colored eyes. Softly, he whispered, "Hitomi."

Hitomi mirrored the king's serious expression as she felt herself drawn closer to him. Like a moth to a flame, Hitomi drew ever closer to Van until they were in each other's arms, their hearts racing, their breathing shallow and rapid, their lips just a hair's breath apart. And with the next beat of their racing hearts, their lips met.

'_Oh God, I love his lips,'_ Hitomi sighed, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and savoring Van's taste, his aroma, his very essence.

'_I want you, Hitomi… I want you with me always.'_ Van released a low, passionate moan as he pulled Hitomi into a tight but loving embrace.

After several long moments, Van slowly broke their kiss. His breath both heavy and labored, he whispered, "I think I may have wrinkled your new outfit."

To which Hitomi, whose breathing was just as labored, replied, "Uh-huh."

"I guess we should get going. That is, if we hope to reach Arzas before nightfall," the young king added, his eyes hooded and his breathing still difficult.

Hitomi's only response was, "Uh-huh."

They stood motionless for several long seconds; Van, with his eyes only slightly opened, gazing upon Hitomi's flushed complexion, Hitomi, her eyes still closed, unwilling to release this reality that felt more dreamlike than any fantasy she ever experienced, day or night.

A moment later, Van pulled Hitomi back into his arms, kissing her with all the love and desire that welled up in his heart for the girl from the Mystic Moon.

Hitomi gave herself willingly, sharing fully in the passionate embrace.

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AN: I'm so very sorry for taking so long to update this story. I finished a version of chapter 90 a several weeks ago, but based on the recommendation of my beta-reader and after re-reading what I wrote, I decided to abandon that version of chapter 90 and write this one instead. I hope you liked it. While this chapter for the most part simply serves as a bridge to the adventures that lie ahead for our lovely young couple, I felt it was important to lay to rest any notion that Van's feelings for Hitomi may have in someway wavered after that accidental kiss with the sleeping Merle. While that incident will be revisited at a much later time, it doesn't play a significant part in what is currently taking place.

I searched and searched to try and find out the name of the village that the wolf people are from. According to the Escaflowne Compendium website, Arzas is one of the cities within Fanelia, but I was unable to determine if this was the city of the wolf people. According to the Vision of Escaflowne website, Adon is Merle's home village in the Escaflowne Movie, but the movie plays no part in the series and this bit of information can be ignored. If anyone knows for sure the name of the city that the wolf people are from, please let me know, otherwise I will assume it is Arzas.

Thanks as always needs to go to my wonderful beta-reader, Janice, who once again has done an incredible job of editing for me. Unfortunately, for both of us, real life has intruded in our attempts to get this story to you as fast as we can so all I can do is ask for your patience and understanding, and to reassure you that I will not stop writing this story until it is complete. I would also like to thank all my wonderful readers. It's your reviews that keep the fire burning inside of me and inspire me to write. Thank you all so very much.

A. Amishi


	91. Chapter 91

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

* * *

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

* * *

Chapter 91

As they rode along the bank of the Vinsorii River, Hitomi could easily identify where the campsite for the aqueduct construction used to be. While the trenches had been backfilled and the tents that housed the laborers were all gone, it was still easy to identify the overturned soil and the charred ground of the campfires.

Hitomi's smile disappeared and she couldn't help but sigh sadly.

"Is something wrong, Hitomi?" Van asked, looking over at her.

She glanced over at him, offering him a faint smile. "No, not really. I just… I can't help but feel sad for you, Van; what with the failure of the aqueduct and all."

Van offered Hitomi a warm smile. "You needn't worry. I believe our efforts to find the necessary technologies to make the aqueduct work have proven successful. But for now, the workers are concentrating on expanding the harbor."

Smiling back, Hitomi asked enthusiastically, "So which country provided the technology? It was Asturia, wasn't it? With all the channels and canals in Palos, I would think they're very adapt at manipulating water."

Van's smile grew as they continued to ride along the shore. "Some of it, but some came from other kingdoms as well. To be honest, I'm rather excited to see what type of technology you have to show us from the Mystic Moon."

"From the Mystic Moon?" A bead of sweat trickled down the girl's temple.

"Is there a problem, Hitomi?" Van looked over and asked.

"Problem? No, no problems." She gave a nervous laugh. "What makes you think there might be a problem?"

Van gave her a crooked grin and replied, "I understand if you forgot to look into it for me. You were very busy, and I didn't take the time to remind you when we communicated at night."

"No!" Hitomi screamed. Her hand flew over her mouth as her cheeks burned bright red in embarrassment. "I mean, I did take the time to research it, like I promised. It's just…" She trailed off.

"What is it, Hitomi?" the young king asked, his brow beginning to wrinkle with concern.

"Well, you see, the technology of my world is… well, it's very different from the technology of Gaea. And I have to admit, a lot of it I don't even understand. And it's not like your engineers will be able to read the writing from my world…" Hitomi explained.

Van smiled, "That's all right, Hitomi. I'm sure whatever you brought with you will be put to good use. But that's for another day. We're way behind schedule. At this rate we'll be sleeping under the stars tonight." The handsome youth quickened his horse's pace.

With a snap of her reins, Hitomi got her horse to keep pace with her companion. "I don't mind," she replied with a smile. "It's been awhile since we slept under the stars together." She remembered how they had been forced to flee Asturia and had had to spend several nights in the forests leading to Freid before they fell under attack by Dilandau and his Dragonslayers. And while they were in constant danger and she knew their lives were being threatened every moment, those nights under the stars were some of the most peaceful and comforting nights she ever experienced. _'It was because of you, Van. I felt safe when I was with you, protected. I knew you wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. I trusted you, Van. I believed in you, even back then.'_ A warm smile crossed her face.

* * *

They continued to ride for about three hours, stopping briefly for a quick lunch then continuing along the path that followed the river. During this time they talked about everything they had talked about when they were communicating telepathically over the long months apart. Van asked Hitomi about all the races she won and about the new friends she made, while Hitomi asked about the progress at the harbor and about the festival, and the girls Van had to dance with.

* * *

Glancing past Van at the debris floating down the river, Hitomi asked, "Van, I couldn't help notice, there seems to be an awful lot of trees and large branches flowing downriver. Is that normal?"

Van turned to look at the river just as a large tree passed no more than 10 meters off shore. Turning back to face Hitomi, he answered, "Actually, it's quite common for this time of year. During the dry season in the forest, the river narrows out upstream and the forest presses in on it. During the rainy season, like now, the river swells and washes away the weak and dying trees." He sighed and looked further up stream along the shoreline. His pensive expression change to one of concern as he added, "Our trip may end up taking quite a bit longer than expected."

Looking upstream as well but not knowing what she was looking for, Hitomi asked, "Why is that, Van?"

"The wolf people of Arzas insist on building the bridge that crosses the Vinsorii River to their village, but they lack the knowledge to make one large enough and sturdy enough to weather the rainy season. I had hoped that with the mild rains we've had so far this season the bridge may have remained, but with the amount of debris flowing downriver, it's highly unlikely the bridge remained intact." Commanding his horse to continue along the shoreline, Van added, "It's not much further now, let's see if by some miracle the bridge remains."

Hitomi followed suit, and after about two kilometers, they saw what remained of the bridge.

Van sighed deeply.

"Where is it?" Hitomi asked, not able to make out any remnants of a bridge.

Van pointed at what looked like the start of an isthmus on each side of the river about a hundred meters further upstream. "The soil acts as a foundation for the wooden bridge, though it could hardly be called a bridge," Van explained. "Unfortunately, during the rainy seasons the bridge regularly gets washed away."

"Why don't you build a more solid bridge?" Hitomi asked.

"I wish I could, but the lands over here," Van pointed all about on both sides of the river, "belong to the wolf people, and while they are part of my kingdom, they hold fast to their traditional ways. We'll have to ride another five hours and cross the Asturian border to get to the stone bridge of Tiirus. We'll lose about a half a day but there really isn't anything we can do about it."

"Oh." Hitomi stared pensively out over the river. "Well, can't we just swim across the river with the horses?"

"The current is too strong and with the sun going down, our gear won't dry before the temperature starts to drop for the night." Van looked about, then concluded, "We should continue to ride a couple more hours, then we can camp for the night near the Asturian border."

Hitomi nodded with a smile as they continued to ride on. As they rode past the remains of the bridge, Hitomi came to a stop and looked out over the narrow peninsula. Slowly, she rode her steed out towards the end of the earthen foundation.

It took a moment before Van realized that Hitomi was no longer beside him. Turning his horse about, he gave a start when he saw Hitomi at the end of the peninsula.

"HITOMI!" he cried out.

The emerald-eyed girl looked over her shoulder at the man she loved and smiled. "Don't worry, Van!" she called out. "I just wanted to get a prospective of the river from here!"

Van rode quickly to where the shore met the isthmus. "Hitomi, the ground there is very unstable! It could wash away at any time! Please, come back, carefully!"

"Wash away?" she whispered to herself, as all color vanished from her face and her forehead was dotted with nervous perspiration. Looking out over the river, Hitomi noticed for the first time just how fast the current was moving. _'I guess this wasn't one of your smarter moves, Hitomi,' _she scolded herself. Slowly, she turned her horse around and let out a stifled scream as part of the ground at the end of the earthen jetty broke off and was quickly washed away by the powerful current. Doing her best to control her racing heart, she began walking her horse carefully towards the shore. The isthmus was only ten meters long but it felt like a hundred meters to Hitomi.

Van had to fight the urge to rush out to the girl he loved, for that would just endanger her life that much more. Instead, he stayed along the shore and spoke words of encouragement and reassurance while desperately trying to keep his own fears in check, hidden from Hitomi.

When she rode her horse out to the end of the peninsula, Hitomi didn't pay any attention to the condition of the ground beneath her, but now as she rode back towards the shore, that was the only thing on her mind. Her anxiety level rose with each step the beast took. Feeling the creature slip and struggle to maintain its balance made Hitomi's heart stop repeatedly. Glancing over at the sides of the isthmus and seeing the ground crumble and wash away made her breath catch in her throat. But little by little she drew closer to the shore and when she was just two meters away, she let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, Van cried out, "HITOMI! HURRY!"

But before she could react a large tree struck the isthmus and it instantly disintegrated and got swept away. Hitomi let out a loud scream as she and her horse went tumbling into the river and went racing downstream.

"HITOMI!" Van screamed. Without thinking about it, the young Draconian's wings came bursting forth, reducing his shirt to rags. Lifting off his horse, Van flew over the river in search of the woman most important to him. Panic immediately set in when he was unable to see Hitomi anywhere, but panic turned to relief when he spotted her burst forth from under the muddied waters, gasping for breath. Van flew down to her with a quick flap of his wings and snatched her up from the racing currents, then turned and returned to where his horse was.

Landing, he saw that Hitomi was no longer conscious. Wiping the blackened water from her mouth and nose, he checked her breathing, which was labored and a bit raspy but steady. Van rolled Hitomi on her side and patted her on the back. Gradually, some muddy water trickled out of her mouth, then she coughed violently, sending a spray of water to the ground. Gasping deeply, the girl's eyes flew open. Her eyes darted around wildly until finally focusing on Van.

Van gently wiped the muddy water from the rest of her face with his hand. "Hitomi, are you all right?"

She took a couple deep breaths and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine, Van. I'm…" She hesitated when her rescuer ran his fingers through her hair in order to brush it out of her face. "My hat!" Her hands flew up to her head. "I lost my hat!" she yelled in a panic. She pushed herself up off the ground. "I've got to find it!" She started towards the river but Van held her fast. Struggling violently, she protested, "Let me go, Van! I need to find my hat!"

But Van refused to release her. "Hitomi! Get a hold of yourself! Your hat is gone. It got washed down the river. There's no finding it now."

"No! No, I have to find my hat!" She continued to struggle. "Let go of me! Let go of me!"

Van shook her firmly. "Hitomi! Get a grip on yourself! It's gone! I'm sorry, but it's gone! There's nothing we can do about it now."

He tried to pull her into his arms but she pushed away from him. "NO! Let me go!"

Seeing no other way, Van released the hysterical girl with his right hand and gently but firmly smacked her on the cheek.

Hitomi gasped in shock.

"Hitomi, I'm sorry, truly I am. You were just acting completely irrationally." Before she could react, Van pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry, Hitomi."

In her lover's arms, it finally dawned on her that her clothes were soaking wet and Van was without his shirt and had her enveloped in his wings.

"Van," she whispered. "You saved me." She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tight. "Oh God, I could have drowned. Van…" Her eyes slid closed and she collapsed in his arms.

"Hitomi! Hitomi!" Van called out, shaking the girl in the hope that she would wake back up. A surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins, but seeing that his one true love was breathing normally and her heart was pounding strong and steady against his chest, he allowed himself to relax a bit.

Scooping Hitomi up in his arms, he carried her away from the shore to a grassy knoll that preceded the forest in this area. Gently lying her down, Van whispered, "I guess we camp here for the night." Staring at Hitomi's peaceful expression, the young king couldn't help but be captivated by the unconscious girl, despite the mud on her face. "By the gods, Hitomi, you're so beautiful." He ran his hand over her cheek. Startled by how cold she felt, Van quickly withdrew his hand and stood up. "I need to make a fire quickly and get Hitomi out of those wet clothes." Without any further hesitation, he began gathering up kindling and tinder for the fire.

* * *

"Mmm…" Slowly, Hitomi's eyes fluttered open. _'Where am I?'_ she wondered. Taking a deep breath, she realized and looked down at herself. _'I'm wrapped in the blanket.'_ She gave a small struggle to get up, but gave up when she realized the blanket was wrapped all the way around her. _'I feel like a spring roll.'_

Looking forward, she noticed for the first time that it was already nightfall and the only light was coming from the fire about a meter away. The crackling flames illuminated the face and bare chest of the man she loved. "Van," she whispered.

The young king looked up from the fire he was stoking and smiled. "You're awake." He rose from his crouched position in front of the fire and walked over to the girl. "How do you feel?" He reached out and touched her cheek.

"Okay, I guess," she smiled, enjoying the feel of his warm hand upon her face.

"Well, you've finally warmed up. I thought I might have done more harm than good when I bathed you in cold water," he said innocently.

"What!" Hitomi's eyes went wide in shock and her cheeks burned bright red.

Seeing her embarrassment, Van couldn't help but feel embarrassed as well as his cheeks turned a pale shade of red. "Well, you see… when you fell into the river, you fell in with all that remained of the jetty. You were covered in mud from head to toe. I didn't want to leave you like that so…" He decided based on the horrified expression on Hitomi's face that the rest was best left unsaid.

With her heart racing and her breathing short and rapid, Hitomi tried desperately to reason these shocking revelations to herself. _'It's… It's okay, Hitomi. Van was just doing what he thought was best. You trust Van. You know he wouldn't do anything to take advantage of you. He wouldn't…'_

Just then a light breeze rustled the nearby trees as well as several hanging objects over the fire. Looking up, Hitomi gasped in horror. "My clothes! …. My clothes!" Hitomi began to hyperventilate. She looked down at herself, but being cocooned in the blanket, she couldn't tell if she had anything on underneath. "I'm… Am I… Am I… I'm…" She looked up at Van, then back down at herself. _'I have to know,' _she told herself. " Help me, Van. Please, help me." She struggled to free herself from the blanket.

Giving a mild chuckle, Van pulled at the blanket. "I guess I over did it a bit, but you were so cold, I just wanted you to warm up."

As the blanket fell away from her body, Hitomi screamed, "Don't look at me!"

Van gasped in shock at his girlfriend's reaction. Realizing why she was reacting as she did, Van smiled and looked deeply into the girl's emerald colored eyes. "You didn't think I was going to leave you naked, did you, Hitomi?"

Slowly breaking her lover's gaze, Hitomi looked down at herself. Relaxing her arms, which she had folded across her chest, she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Van's red sleeveless shirt on her. Looking back up at him, she smiled. But as the memory of the day's harrowing events returned to her, Hitomi's smile disappeared as she looked all about for confirmation of what she thought she remembered.

"What is it, Hitomi?" Van asked with a concerned look on his face.

Hitomi continued to look about frantically, clearly in search of something. Finally, she spotted a small cluster of feathers nuzzled at the base of a nearby tree. "It wasn't a dream. You flew out over the river and saved me, didn't you, Van?" she said softly.

The young man nodded, then reached up and lightly brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek. "I'm sorry, Hitomi."

"Sorry?" Her brow wrinkled a bit.

"For not keeping a closer watch over you, for letting you ride out upon the isthmus, for striking you across the cheek," he said whispered sadly.

Placing her hand over his, Hitomi smiled up at Van. "It's okay, Van. It's my own fault. I should have known better than to ride out over that stretch of loose earth. But you know…"

Van looked deeply into her eyes, waiting for her to continue.

"When Allen needed to calm Millerna down, when he fled from Palas, I heard he kissed her." She offered the king a teasing smirk.

Van turned his gaze aside and whispered under his breath, "Sounds like Allen." Looking back into Hitomi's eyes, he replied, "I'll be sure to remember that in the future."

"Oh, Van." Hitomi leaned forward and embraced him tightly. Van returned her embrace and kissed the girl he loved upon the forehead, then pressed his cheek upon her head and held her close.

After staying like this for several minutes, Hitomi came out of her reverie and realized as Van ran his hand over her back that she had no bra on. Concentrating for a moment she also realized she had no panties on either. _'Well, I'm sure they needed to be dried too. But they're so small and thin, I'm sure they're dry by now.' _Leaning back a bit, she smiled at Van then looked over the makeshift clothesline Van had rigged up over the fire. After a quick inspection, Hitomi's smile faded away. "Van, where are my underwear, my bra and panties?"

Van's face turned bright red as he turned his gaze from the girl in front of him.

"Van?" Hitomi raised her right eyebrow at his suspicious behavior.

"Well, you see," Van looked back over at her, but without his usual confident expression. "All your clothes were covered in mud as well. So I took them by the river to wash them…"

"You lost my underwear down the river?" a startled Hitomi gasped.

"No! No, I didn't lose them, not at all," Van reassured her.

"Then what happened?" She tilted her head slightly.

"Well, I hung them along with the rest of your clothes on the line over the fire. I was hoping to have them dried first; since they were so small and delicate, I assumed they'd dry faster. In fact, I wanted them to dry so I could put them back on you before you woke up. I guess I didn't realize just how delicate they really were…" Van hung his head in shame. "See, I guess I had them a little too close to the fire, so when a spark jumped up, they both burned up almost instantly." Looking back up into Hitomi's eyes, Van whispered, "I'm sorry, Hitomi."

"That's alright, Van." The sandy-haired girl smiled and ran her hand through his hair. "I'll just get the spare pair from my saddlebag. She looked around trying to find her horse. "Where's Beleza?"

Van shook his head slightly. "I don't know. I didn't see her when I flew over the river."

Hitomi gasped and her eyes filled with unshed tears instantly.

"But that doesn't mean…" Van reached up and took her shoulders. "I mean, it wasn't like I was looking for her. I was looking for you, so it's entirely possible that she made it out of the river further downstream. If she did, then most likely she headed back to the castle. That's what she's trained to do, just like the rest of the palace horses. So if they ever get separated from their riders, they won't end up lost."

"I hope you're right." Hitomi's expression remained melancholy.

"I'm sure of it." Van smiled. "But you must be hungry by now." He stood up and walked over to the fire.

"Not those slugs again?" Hitomi stuck her tongue out at the memory of the foul tasting bugs she was forced to eat so long ago.

Van laughed softly. "No, fortunately we're next to a river this time." He pulled two sticks from ground around the fire and walked back over to Hitomi, sitting down next to her. "Here."

"Oh, thank you, Van." She took the stick and eyed the medium sized fish that was on it. _'Well, it doesn't look bad.'_ She closed her eyes and took a bite. "Mmm, that's good." He held her hand in front of her mouth. "Sorry."

"That's all right." Van smiled. "And you're right, it is good." He took a bite and nodded in agreement.

* * *

After they ate, they sat around the fire and talked for about an hour, until Van observed that Hitomi was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. 

"It's pretty late. You should get some rest now, Hitomi. We still have a long ride ahead of us tomorrow," the young king said, then he stood and added another log to the fire to make sure it stayed lit the rest of the night.

"Van…" Hitomi stood up, letting the blanket fall to the floor and walked up behind him. Kneeling down she placed her hands upon his bare back. "You're so cold."

"I'll be fine." He assured her as he stoked the fire.

"What about your other shirt? Don't you have a spare one in your saddlebag?" She asked.

Van hesitated for a moment before saying, "You're wearing my spare shirt."

"Huh?"

"I tore up my shirt when I flew out to rescue you," he explained.

Leaning forward, Hitomi hugged Van from behind, pressing her cheek against his shoulder blade. "I'm sorry, Van. I should have known better. And I'm sorry for getting hysterical over my hat earlier."

"You remember that?" Van smiled. "It's okay. You'd just fallen into the freezing river. You were in shock. It's understandable."

"Come…" She pulled back and tugged on Van's shoulders. "Come lay down with me…. Please."

Van turned around slowly and looked into his girlfriend's eyes. Slowly, he nodded.

Hand in hand, they walked over to the blanket. Van grabbed it and shook it out, then laid it out, and taking Hitomi's hand, guided her back onto it. He then sat down on the blanket next to her and grabbed it from the far end and folded it over them so they could be covered by it as well. Lying down, he inched closer to the red clad girl and pulled the blanket tightly around them. Hitomi pressed up against Van and wrapped her arms around him.

Feeling her body pressing up against his, Van's heart began to race. _'What's wrong with me? We've laid in bed together before, just a few days ago. Why is this getting me so excited now? Could be because she's wearing my shirt… only my shirt? Could it be because we're miles from anyone else?'_ He inhaled sharply. _'Control yourself, Van. You swore to honor her virtue. What kind of Samurai, what kind of King am I, if I can't control my own desires?'_

"Van?"

The young king turned his head to look into the eyes of the woman he loved. "Yes, Hitomi?"

"Is something wrong?" she asked innocently.

He hesitated for a moment, debating in his mind how he should answer that question. Finally, he said, "To be honest, Hitomi, I'm not sure how long I can stay here under this blanket with you tonight."

"Why?" she asked sadly.

"I feel myself being overwhelmed with desires. Desires that may compromise your virtue." He turned his head in shame. "I promised never to take advantage of you, Hitomi. But being here with you, like this, I'm not entirely sure I can contain myself. I'm sorry." He started to turn away but Hitomi held on to him tightly.

"Van," she whispered to get him to look back at her. "There's something I want you to understand. I'm yours, all of me… belongs to all of you." She blushed slightly. _'Gosh, I hope that the light from the fire isn't bright enough to show just how embarrassed I am to be saying this. But it's true, every word of it.'_ "I'm here for you… body and soul," she whispered, then pressed her cheek against Van's chest. "I love you, Van… I always will."

"Oh, Hitomi." Van held her tight and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you… for giving me strength." He kissed her atop her head once again, then Hitomi looked up into his eyes and they kissed deeply, passionately. When their lips parted, he whispered softly. "I love you, Hitomi. I will love you till the day I die… and beyond." Then they kissed again.

* * *

AN: I hope you liked this chapter. This one took some effort to write. It didn't come as easily as most of my other chapters for this story. But I'm happy with the way it came out. I hope you are too. 

I know that Hitomi seems quite OOC in this chapter and she is, but there is a reason for it. That reason will be revealed in the next chapter or two, so please be patient.

There seems to be some interesting comments made lately by some of you in your reviews. Since I don't make a habit of replying directly to reviews, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in holding a chat session to discuss this story? Just an idea. Let me know what you think.

As always, thank you Janice for being the worlds best beta-reader and for listening to my reasoning for writing Hitomi OOC in this chapter. I hope the end result proves to be worth the effort.

A. Amishi


	92. Chapter 92

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 92

Along the Vinsorii River

Hitomi stirred gently, nuzzling more closely to her pillow. '_Mmm, you're so warm, Van.'_ She caressed her cheek up against Van's chest. _'And so strong.' _Pressing up closer to him, she felt the warmth of his body mingle and warm her body all over. Instantly, her eyes shot open. _'Oh My God! I'm naked! He's naked! We're naked!'_

A chill suddenly shot through her body, causing Van to tighten his hold on her. "Shhh, it's still early. We don't need to be up for awhile still," he whispered.

Hitomi's heart began to race and she tightened her hold on Van as she tried to remember the events of the night before.

"_**Van," she whispered to get him to look back at her. "There's something I want you to understand. I'm yours, all of me… belongs to all of you." She blushed slightly. "I'm here for you… body and soul," she whispered, then pressed her cheek against Van's chest. "I love you, Van… I always will."**_

**"Oh, Hitomi." Van held her tight and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you… for giving me strength." He kissed her atop her head once again, then Hitomi looked up into his eyes and they kissed deeply, passionately. When their lips parted, he whispered softly, "I love you, Hitomi. I will love you till the day I die… and beyond." Then they kissed again. Van's hands ran up and down Hitomi's back, coming to rest at the subtle rise of her buttocks. They continued to kiss passionately as Van's hands slowly balled up into fists, bunching up the fabric of the shirt she was wearing. Gradually, his hands slid up her back, bringing the shirt up with them. The young teenaged girl let out a gentle moan, then she lifted her body away from his so he could finish pulling the shirt over her head.**

**She settled back down upon him and took hold of his pants, pulling down slowly. A moment later they lay bare, holding each other tightly, kissing each other passionately and whispering words of love and desire.**

**But beyond that, Hitomi could not recall anything else. _'Did we make love last night, or didn't we?'_ She ran her hand over his chest. _'If we did, how do I feel about it? Am I glad we did? Am I upset? Right now, I feel more frightened and confused than anything else, but I think that's mostly because I just can't remember.'_ She let out a gentle sigh.**

"Is something wrong, Hitomi?" Van softly caressed her hair and kissed her.

"No," she responded too quickly. Letting her heart slow down a bit, she continued. "No, not really, Van. It's just… I just…" Each time, she trailed off, not knowing how exactly to complete her thought.

"If you're wondering if we made love last night, the answer is no," Van answered her unasked question. "We kissed and held each other tight, but that's all. You must have still been exhausted from your ordeal because you fell asleep in the middle of a sentence." The young king released a soft, short laugh, then stroked Hitomi's sandy-colored hair once again.

After a few moments of silence, Van whispered, "If being like this is too embarrassing for you, I'll get up now and get dressed." He started to sit up, but Hitomi held him tight.

"No. Please stay with me like this awhile longer," the emerald-eyed girl said softly. "I like being like this with you. It's just… I just couldn't remember is all. It was sort of embarrassing, not being able to remember."

Van wrapped his arms around her once again and pulled her close, smiling to himself and rubbing his cheek up against the side of her head. "I think I understand." Running his hands over her bare back, he whispered, "You're so soft, Hitomi. And your muscles are so small, yet strong," he added as he ran his fingers along the side of her spine.

"If you think my back is strong, you should feel my legs and my butt," she giggled, bringing her leg up and rubbing it against Van's thighs.

Feeling a bit mischievous, Van slid his hand down and caressed Hitomi's butt cheek.

The young teen let out a yelp and looked up at him with shock in her eyes, her cheeks bright pink.

Van smiled and replied, "You're right, it is very strong."

"Hmm." Sliding up onto Van just a bit, Hitomi firmly poked the king's side.

"OOMPH!" He buckled.

"Next time, know when I'm just teasing," she retorted.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a smile. "OOMPH!" He buckled again.

"And don't call me ma'am. It sounds weird when you say it." Hitomi gave Van a mock glare.

"Very well, Lady Hitomi," Van replied with playful formality. "Any other instructions, Ma'Lady?"

"Only one." Hitomi rested her head upon Van's chest. "Just hold me a while longer."

Tightening his embrace, the two of them remained under the blanket in tranquil silence for about another hour till it was time for them to get up and get ready to continue their journey.

(to be continued)

AN: Well, now that I have some extra time on my hands I figured I'd crank out a quick chapter. Just a short passionate one to act as a transitional chapter for their continued journey. Also, I wanted to make it clear that they did not make love that night. The time will come, but not now. There is still much ground to cover before that happens.

Just to let you all know, I am currently unemployed. My company had to cut back and I was one of the casualties, so right now I'm looking for work. If any of you know of anyone or anyplace that has a need for a software test engineer, please let me know.

On another side note. I think I may have mentioned this before but just in case I didn't, I will be hosting an Escaflowne Fan Panel at Acen'05 this year. So if any of you are planning on attending Acen and would like to participate on the panel, let me know, or if you'll be attending but don't feel up to participating, please at least take the time to drop by the fan panel and let me know you are one of my fans. I could use all the support I can get.

To accommodate a group chat session, I've created a channel on mIRC. If you're not familiar with it, just drop by the website, The channel is #Esca(underscore)ANL, and I'm a(underscore)amishi. I hope to be on and between Noon and 1pm most weekdays and after 11:30pm as well. If you have any questions about my fanfic or would just like to talk about Escaflowne in general, please feel free to drop in.

As always, thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review my story. I really appreciate every review I get. It's what keeps me motivated. And thanks to my wonderful beta-reader, Janice, who always does an awesome job for me. Thanks, Janice.

A. Amishi


	93. Chapter 925

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 92 ½: Hitomi's muse

Hitomi nuzzled up close to Van, and squeezed her eyes tightly shut before relaxing in an effort to fall back to sleep. But with so many thoughts racing through her mind, sleep was next to impossible.

'I can hardly believe we're here like this. Lying naked in each other's arms. If I had stayed up last night, would we have made love? If I ask him to make love to me now, would he? Am I really ready to that that next step? I love him so, and I meant it when I said I belonged to him, body and soul, but right here, right now; am I really ready for this?' She let out a deep breath and whispered softly, "Van?" But there was no response.

Carefully, she lifted her head to look up at him. Van's eyes were closed, his face turned slightly to the side. 'He's asleep. How unusual. Van's normally such a light sleeper. He must be exhausted.' She studied his features for a few moments longer. 'He looks so at peace when he's asleep.' Slowly, she eased her head back upon his chest. 'So tranquil.'

In the stillness of the early morning hour, she could feel the subtle rise and fall of Van's chest as he breathed, and she could feel and hear the strong, steady beat of his heart beneath her ear. Hitomi smiled, enjoying the guilty pleasure of being with Van like this, but slowly the smile faded. 'What would Yukari say if she saw me like this? What would my parents say if the new I was lying naked with a boy? Oh, my god, they'd probably ground me for life.' She tightened her hold on Van. 'I have to be careful what I say, when I return home. I can never let this slip out, not even to Yukari.' Her heart began to race and her breath quickened. 'Calm down Hitomi. No one's going to find out. Not now, not ever. Just calm down.'

Gradually, her respiration returned to normal. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply then gradually allowed the air to flow out of her lungs. I love the way he smells. Like the fields of Fanelia. Like the outdoors he loves so much.' She placed a tender kiss upon his chest. "I love you so much Van," she whispered as softly as she could. "I love you more than life itself."

(To be continued)

AN: Everyone, I am so very sorry for taking so long to post my next chapter. To be honest, after losing my last job, I went through such a bad case of writers block that I hardly wrote anything for nearly two months. But with my new job has come a new desire to write and I did finish writing the 93rd chapter over a week ago. But it is still in the hands of my beta-reader. I've learned my lesson when it comes to posting chapters that haven't been edited especially longer ones, so chapter 93 will have to wait a while longer until Janice has time to finish it. But until then I thought I'd send along this short little chippie in hopes to ease your craving for something new. I call this chapter 92 and ½, but really it's more like 92 and a 1/10th. Just a little something I whipped up quickly but I think, at least I hope you found it somewhat satisfying.

A great big thank you to Random1377, who looked this chapter over for me. Not really a beta, but an extremely gifted writer.

By the way, I'll be on my mIRC all next week from 8:30pm till 10pm. The server is 6667 and the channel is #EscaANL. Hope some of you can make it on. I'd love to chat with you about my story.

Again, my deepest apologies for taking so long to update. And hopefully, chapter 93, which is much longer, will be up soon as well.

Thank you all,

A. Amishi


	94. Chapter 93

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 93

Near the Fanelia/Asturia border

"See the tower up ahead?" Van pointed off into the distance.

Hitomi nodded. "Does that tower mark the border with Asturia?"

"Yes, that's right," the king said with a faint smile, while still keeping his eyes on the distant marker.

The emerald-eyed girl shifted her gaze from the gate to the young man whose horse she shared. "And how much further will it be to the Asturian village?"

"The outpost of Madrio is a little over 5 kilo-cubits past the border. It should take us about two hours to get there," Van replied, picking up the pace slightly.

Hitomi leaned into him a bit more, tightening her hold around his waist. She wanted to rest her head upon his chest, but she knew it wasn't practical for several reasons. For one, she wouldn't be able to keep her head resting comfortably with the horse's up and down motion, and second, though her hair was still relatively short – just barely reaching her shoulders now – she didn't want it obstructing Van's view of the road.

Instead, she satisfied herself with the feeling of his warm, strong torso.

They rode in silence for nearly an hour until they came to the tower. It stood fifteen cubits tall and was seven cubits square at the base. It had three levels, at five cubits, ten cubits, and at the top of the tower with three sentries posted at the two lower levels, and five posted at the top.

"Halt! Who approaches?" A sentry called down from lower level.

"Van Fanel, King of Fanelia," he replied, coming to a stop and slowly turning his horse to allow the sentry a clear view of the other rider. "And this is the Lady Hitomi, my guest and traveling companion." He pulled out his sword and held it up. "This is the Sword of Fanelia, the sword of the King of Fanelia, no other can bear this sword. This is proof of my identity."

Releasing his sword, the sergeant made his way down the tower. A moment later he appeared from behind the large structure and walked up to the two riders. Taking a good long look at the sword, recognition flashed in his eyes and he got down on one knee and bowed. "My Lord, it is an honor to have the King of Fanelia enter our kingdom. What, may I ask, brings you to Asturia this fine day?"

Van smiled down at the soldier and sheathed his sword. Glancing up at the sentries still in the tower, he saw that they now were bowing as well. "We were on our way to Arzas but the earthen bridge across the river in my country has washed away. We need to cross at Tiirus before heading back. Will this be a problem?"

The soldier smiled and shook his head. "No, your Majesty, of course not." He stepped aside. "Have a pleasant journey, your Majesty." And the sergeant bowed low.

"Thank you, Sergeant." The King of Fanelia nodded towards the gentleman, then again up at the sentries still in the tower. Giving a snap of the reins, the horse continued its way along the path.

(000)

"So now we're in Asturia?" Hitomi smiled and looked about.

"Yes, can you tell the difference?" Van asked with a grin.

She looked about for a moment, then said, "The trees, they're different."

"That's right; here the Fanelus trees of the Vinsorii Forest mark the border between Fanelia and Asturia."

"You mentioned before an outpost called Madrio, but you told the sentry we were going to Tiirus?"

"Madrio is the fort which services this tower," Van gestured back with his head, "And five other towers just like it in this region. We should be able to pick up a horse for you there. From there, it will be another three hours hard riding to the city of Tiirus, where we'll be able to cross the river."

"I see." Lowering her gaze in pensive contemplation, Hitomi found herself lost in her thoughts. _'That was so stupid of me yesterday. But I have to admit, I like riding with Van like this. I wish we could ride all the way to Arzas this way, but I guess it's not practical. It's just so nice being this close to him. It makes me feel so…'_

"A dracun for your thoughts."

"Huh?" Hitomi looked up at Van wide eyed.

Smiling at her, he asked, "What were you thinking about?"

Her cheeks turned bright red and she lowered her head to his chest. "Nothing, nothing really."

"Why don't we stop for a moment?" He smiled.

"We don't have to," Hitomi reassured him. "I'm fine."

"I'm glad, but my legs could use a stretch."

"Oh, sorry." She turned away, blushing more deeply.

Van turned off the road and dismounted, then reached up to help Hitomi down. Placing his hands upon her waist, she slid off the saddle and into his embrace. For a moment she tried to pull away, but he held her fast. Staring up into his piercing eyes for a moment, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his chest, holding him tight.

"Hitomi?" Van's smile disappeared. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she whispered. "Just hold me. I feel so safe when I'm in your arms. Hold me, Van, just hold me."

(000)

Riding out of Ft. Madrio, Van and Hitomi rode north on the road that would lead them to Tiirus. Hitomi's new horse was a small mare, only two years old and very spirited, but Hitomi seemed to handle her with no problem.

"We'll need to ride pretty hard if we hope to make it to Tiirus before nightfall," Van informed her.

"I understand." She smiled. "Haa!" She snapped her reins and broke into a gallop. Van did the same and they raced down the path to the city of Tiirus.

(000)

Securing their horses at the public stables, the young couple walked into an inn called the Yellow Feather and approached the innkeeper serving guests from behind the bar.

"Excuse me, we'd like to secure accommodations for the night," Van said firmly but politely while dusting off his clothes.

The burly, middle-aged man looked down at the young teen with mild contempt. "Oh, you would, would you?" Then he looked at the young lady with him, raising an eyebrow at the unusual clothes the young girl had on. The man's piercing stare caused the girl to turn away in embarrassment.

Seeing Hitomi's reaction, Van's mood immediately darkened. "We seek accommodations, can you help us or shall we take our business elsewhere?" The king started to turn towards the door, bringing his sword into plain view of the innkeeper.

Taking one look at the simple yet well-crafted weapon, the man's tone changed instantly. "My apologies, good sir. Yes, of course we have accommodations. Would you prefer one room or two?" He smiled and glanced momentarily over at Hitomi.

"Two," Van replied, but feeling a tug on his arm, he turned to find the emerald-eyed girl staring up at him with eyes wide and watery and lips quivering ever so slightly. Turning back to the innkeeper, he changed his request. "One room will suffice."

"Very good, young Sir." The man wiped his hands on his apron. "And will you be taking your supper in the dining hall, or would you prefer the privacy of your room?"

Van raised an eyebrow but answered straight away. "Our room will be fine."

"Very good, young Sir. Yes, very good." The man licked his lips and wiped his hands again. "That will be… " He looked up as if calculating the amount in the air above him. "Thirty-five dracuns. Yes, thirty-five dracuns for the night and supper. Oh, that includes two mugs each of my finest ale." He smiled.

Van pulled at the strings dangling from the side of his pants and removed his change pouch. Opening it, he pulled out six gold coins and tossed them on the bar. "I assume that's more than enough to include a good bottle of wine instead of the ale, and to insure our privacy."

The man's eyes lit up and he quickly scooped up the coins. "Yes, my Lord. Without a doubt. I'll send my boy to retrieve the finest bottle in all of Tiirus this very moment. Just one moment and I'll see that your room is made ready." He grinned, then turned and rushed out from behind the bar, heading towards the kitchen.

(000)

"Woman! Come quickly!"

"Woman, indeed. I've a good mind to level these plates over your head if you call me woman one more time." A short, stout lady, at least as old as the innkeeper, snapped at him in return as she walked out of the kitchen with two large plates of food on each arm.

"Tame yourself. We have guests needing to be shown their room."

"So, show them. We have guests waiting for their supper," she rebuked.

"But they not be guests who paid with six gold pieces for one night's accommodations." He showed her the coins in his hands.

The woman gasped and nearly dropped the plates. Reacting quickly, the burly fellow grabbed the dishes from her and set them on the empty table next to him. "Now go quickly and prepare the large room upstairs, and heat some water." He looked over at his prized guests and saw them both still dusting off their clothes. "They've traveled a long way. No doubt they will would be looking to bathe before turning in for the night."

She nodded and looked over as well. "They're not from Asturia; not the girl, that is certain. Where do you suppose they are from?"

"From the look of his sword, I'd say Fanelia. At least the young lord."

"You suppose he's Fanelian nobility?"

"Without a doubt. Now go, woman, let's not keep them waiting any longer!"

With that the innkeeper's wife darted across the room and up the stairs to the guest suite, which normally had as many as four double beds in it, but due to a visit from a wealthy Asturian merchant recently had only one king-sized bed.

"Boy!" the man called into the kitchen. A gangly looking boy, about twelve years of age with wiry black hair, looked up from chopping vegetables. "Come here quickly, and take off your apron."

The boy did as his master told him, wiping his hands clean before tossing the apron aside. "Yes, Sir."

"Here." The man held up a gold coin. "Take this and go to the winery across town, not the one near the city fountain, not Alorio's, he waters down his wine, go all the way to Franciscan Winery. Talk only to Master Winston and tell him I want his finest bottle of red wine. Nothing less will do."

The boy nodded enthusiastically, then grabbed the coin and rushed to the back door at the end of the kitchen.

"And I want a receipt, and my change back!" the man howled. He stood staring after the boy well after the door had closed behind him. Turning his attention to his cook, he said, "Erico, I need you to make something extra special for our two young guests. Something suitable for nobility."

"I'm way ahead of you, Boss. I'm making my speciiial-ity, lightly grilled venison with sautéed mushrooms and baby onions, and a very nice vegetable medley boiled in butter and seasoned just right, served on top of a bed of couscous," The cook replied while slicing the venison into thin filets.

"Excellent, Erico, excellent," the innkeeper said, then turned and picked up the dishes his wife was going to take to the dining hall. "Today is surely my lucky day," he laughed as he walked.

(000)

A few minutes later the stout, middle-aged woman came back down the stairs and rushed over to the young couple. Pausing a moment to gather her poise, "Right this way," she gestured, and lead the way. After a few steps, the woman hesitantly turned towards Van and cautiously reached for the saddle bags he had thrown over his shoulder. "Allow me to take those for you."

Van held up a hand in mild protest. "That's alright. I can manage."

"Oh, of course." The woman bowed low then continued to lead the way towards the stairs.

Due to the odd behavior of the innkeeper and his wife, Van and Hitomi found themselves being stared at by most of the occupants of the tavern which occupied the front of the inn. Being royalty, Van was accustomed to the attention and simply ignored it, but Hitomi was clearly bothered by the eyes and whispers directed towards her. So much so, she found herself frozen by fright until a familiar hand slipped into hers and a warm smile encouraged her along. Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, Hitomi followed Van up to the room.

The room was about half the size of Hitomi's chambers at Fanelia Castle. It was well lit and had a king-size bed, a desk with a chair, and a small round table with two chairs. Being nighttime, the curtains were already drawn.

"Well, this is your room." The woman smiled and wrung her hands. "I hope you like it." She laughed nervously.

Van placed the saddle bags on the desk. "It's fine."

"Hmm, well, your dinner will be up shortly… but if you like, the bath is at the end of the hall. The water should be good and hot by now."

"Oh, thank you." Hitomi smiled. "I could really use a bath." She slapped at her jacket trying to get the rest of the dust off.

"I-If you like, you can leave your clothes in the bathroom and I'll see to it that they get cleaned before you leave tomorrow morning." The woman gave an awkward curtsy.

Van walked up to her and slid a coin into her hand. "We will be leaving quite early tomorrow, so please try to have it done before then."

The woman looked down at her hand. Her eyes sparkled nearly as much as the gold piece. "Yes, my Lord!" She curtsied again. "Thank you, my Lord. It will be done, I guarantee it, my Lord." She curtsied two more times then rushed out the room, slamming the door shut in her nervous excitement.

Van walked up behind Hitomi and ran his hands over her shoulders. "Why don't you go first," he whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"Mmm hmm." He worked the muscles along the back of her neck, eliciting a gentle sigh from the girl. "Take your time and enjoy the bath. We have a long ride tomorrow so you should try to relax while you can."

"Mmmmmm, I suppose you're right." Hitomi lowered her head, allowing Van better access.

After kneading her neck a few moments longer, Van allowed his hand to slide down her spine and slip away.

Lifting her head slowly, she rolled it around once. "Mmmmmm, that felt good." She turned towards him. "Promise me you'll do that again before we go to bed tonight?" She tenderly placed her hand upon his chest and kissed him. "I'll be back in a little bit." Then she turned and walked to the door.

As she reached for the door knob, Van called out, "Hitomi!"

Turning, she offered him a gracious smile, but it quickly melted away upon seeing the concerned look on his face. "What's wrong, Van?"

After a moment's pause, he replied, "Actually, I was going to ask you that very question."

Hitomi felt her heart tighten. "What do you mean, Van?" She gave him a weak smile that quickly faded away.

Walking up to her, he gazed into her eyes, searching for a reason for her unusual behavior. Raising his hand, he caressed her cheek and smiled. "It's nothing. Go take your bath. I'll be here when you return."

She gave him another weak smile. "Alright." Then she turned and walked out the door.

Van sighed and headed back into the room. Sitting at the desk, he pulled off his boots and tossed them to the side. Leaning back on the wooden chair, he took stock of the events of the past few days since Hitomi's return to Gaea, of her desire to have him spend the night in her bed, how she reacted after he saved her when she fell into the river, how she offered herself to him last night, and how she seemed almost reluctant to have her own horse when they arrived at the fort.

"Not to mention wanting us to share a room rather then have her own." Van ran the back of his hand over his chin a few times. "Not that I'm complaining about any of this. Being this close to Hitomi is…" The king smiled broadly. "Well… " He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "But this isn't how Hitomi normally acts." His smile gradually faded. "I wonder what might have happened to bring about this change in her?" A stoic expression formed upon his face as he stared pensively towards the door.

(000)

Setting all her clothes in a neat pile on the chair near the door, Hitomi tip-toed across the cool ceramic floor to the metal tub and carefully slid in, drawing in a deep breath and slowly letting out a long sigh as she settled into the tub. "Mmmmmm, this feels so good." She closed her eyes and smiled, running her hands over her arms and shoulders. "Van was right. I could really use this chance to unwind." She let herself slip down till her nose was so close to the water that even her breathing caused ripples. Taking a deep breath again, she lowered herself down until her whole head was under the water and stayed like that for about ten seconds, then let out the air in her lungs and slid back up. "Waaaah!" She wiped the water from her face, inhaling sharply and giggling. "Maybe I can get Van to give me a real massage after dinner." She smiled, but slowly the smile faded as she recalled Vans inquiry.

"_What's wrong, Van?" _

"_Actually, I was going to ask you that very question."_

She sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest. "What's wrong with me? Why am I acting this way? I'm not some helpless heroine in a cheap romance novel… but that's exactly how I've been acting since I returned to Gaea." She crossed her arms over her knees and placed her forehead upon her arms. "Why… why?"

(To Be Continued)

AN: I'm so very sorry for taking so long to get this chapter written, but after I lost my job in February, I was struck with a bad case of writer's block, probably due to my fear of not finding a job in time to keep us from falling badly into debt. Fortunately, I'm working again and writing again too.

I hope you liked this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I was a bit confused as to which direction I wanted to take this after chapter 92, and after a couple of failed attempts, I came up with this. It feels right and leads nicely into what I want to have happen next. Also, it helps clarify some of Hitomi's strange behavior recently.

Sorry about the mIRC. I set it up and let everyone know in my last chapter that the channel name was #Esca(underscore)ANL but I forgot to include the server, which is **undernet**. I should be online each evening from 8 to 10 pm CST, from June 27th to July 1st. I hope at least some of you will sign on. I'm looking forward to answering any questions you might have about my story.

As always, I'd like to take a moment to thanks my totally awesome and incredibly cute beta-reader, Janice. Thanks Janice!

And I'd like to thank each and every one of you who've read my story, and especially to those who've also taken the time to review it as well. Thanks you all so very much.

A. Amishi


	95. Chapter 94

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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Chapter 94 

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(000)

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Van walked back into their room in the robe the innkeeper's wife had laid out for him in the bathroom. His hair was still damp, but he opted not to bring a towel back to the room with him, choosing instead to allow the warmth of the room's fireplace to finish drying it.

In the room, Hitomi was sitting at the table, also clad in a cream colored robe, while the stout woman set the table.

"Mmm, it smells delicious," the king said in a voice loud enough to announce his return, then he quickly make his way to the table and sat across from Hitomi.

"Thank you, Ma'Lady," the woman said modestly. Grabbing the plates from the tray her husband was holding, she set them before the couple and waited.

Both Van and Hitomi picked up their knife and fork and cut a small portion of the meat. Placing it in her mouth, Hitomi took only a moment to savor the flavor of the tender meat.

"Mmm, it's delicious." She smiled and looked over at Van, who also scooped up some of the mushrooms and onions along with a small amount of couscous. Placing the large forkful in his mouth, Van chewed for a while before looking up. "It's very good, very good. Please, extend my complements to the cook."

"Thank you, my Lord." The woman bowed. "I will." She took the tray from her husband, who stepped forward and poured some wine into Van's challis from a carafe, which was already on the table.

Van grabbed his glass and took a drink. After a moment, the corners of his lips turned up. "Excellent. Everything is perfect. Thank you."

Smiling wide, the innkeeper filled his goblet the rest of the way, then did the same with Hitomi's, who took a sip and nodded with a smile. "It's very good."

The man set the carafe down and bowed low. "If you need anything else this evening, don't hesitate to call on us." Bowing once more, he and his wife exited quietly.

"Do you think they know who you really are?" Hitomi asked.

Glancing towards the door for a moment, he took another drink, rinsing the food from his mouth, and said, "Mmm, probably not, though they probably think I'm Fanelian nobility." He put another forkful in his mouth and took another drink before continuing. "Which is fine with me. This way they're more likely to leave us alone while not bothering to contact the regional governor or nobles, which is good. That way we won't be delayed leaving tomorrow morning."

Hitomi nodded and continued to eat.

They ate in relative silence, only glancing up at each other once in awhile and smiling. Though Van had never been one to beat around the bush, Hitomi knew that if she didn't give him cause to question her, he would most likely remain silent about the issue concerning her recent behavior. So she took the one option she felt was her best defense against such inquiries, silence.

But instead of it being the comfortable silence they often shared, this was an awkward silence that felt entirely unnatural to her.

'_Just a little while longer. We'll finish eating and then we'll go to sleep.' _She fumbled with her food, pushing it around the plate as she thought. _'Then tomorrow, everything will be all right. I'll be all right, I'm sure of it. I just need a good night's sleep and I'll be fine.'_

"Don't you like the food?"

"Huh?" Hitomi looked up suddenly.

"Your food. You've hardly touched it. I can have them make something else for you, if you like?"

"No. No, that's okay. The food is fine. I'm just not that hungry, that's all." She set her fork down and took a sip of wine. "Mmm, the wine is very good. Sweet but not too sweet." She took another sip. Smiling at Van, she stood up. "If you don't mind, I think I'll get ready for bed now."

Van wiped his mouth. "No, not at all," he said with a look of mild concern.

Her smile grew a bit before she tuned and walked over to the desk, removing her toiletry pouch from Van's saddlebag. Walking back over to the table, she leaned over and kissed Van atop his head. "I'll be right back." Then she walked out the door.

Van set his fork down, placed his elbows on the table, and clasped his hands together. Resting his forehead upon his hands, he sighed deeply.

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(000)

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In the bathroom, Hitomi took her time brushing her teeth, staring into the washbasin, refusing to look up at her reflection in the mirror set before it. When she had told Van she wasn't hungry, it wasn't entirely a lie. Though she had been hungry earlier, her concerns over what Van almost asked her had put her stomach into knots. Her nerves were wound so tight that she ended up making her gums bleed.

"Great," she whispered, spitting out the blood as she rinsed her mouth repeatedly. Satisfied that the majority of the hemorrhaging had stopped, she squirted a small amount of toothpaste onto her toothbrush and scrubbed it clean, then rinsed it thoroughly and put both items back in her pouch. Grabbing the astringent and some cotton balls, she scrubbed her face mercilessly, tossing one cotton ball aside after another. When she was done, she stared at her reddened face in the mirror for what felt like forever. "What are you doing to yourself?" She let out a sad sigh. "Punishing yourself won't solve anything."

Grabbing her moisturizer, she dabbled some on her hand and rubbed her hands together then began rubbing it into her face with her back to the mirror. Finally, she pulled out her brush and ran it through her hair. After about a minute, she stopped and looked down at the brush she held firmly in her hand. "What are you doing? You know Van won't go to sleep before you. He never does. So there's no point in stalling." She stuffed the brush back into the pouch and closed it. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a deep breath, and headed back to the room.

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(000)

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Returning to the room, Hitomi found Van taking inventory of their supplies.

He looked up when he heard the door. "We'll need to stop at the market tomorrow before we leave. If we get an early start, we might make it to Arzas before nightfall. But that will mean eating on the road."

"Oh, well, that's okay, I don't mind." She smiled, having walked up to him, her toiletry pouch still in her hand.

"Is something wrong?"

She jumped. "Ah, no! Nothing's wrong." She hesitated for a moment then extended it toward him. He took it and placed it on the side. "I'm just tired, that's all. I think I'll go to bed now."

"All right, I'll join you in a little while."

"O-okay," she forced out. Walking over to the candelabra on her side of the room, she paused for a moment then asked, "Is it alright if I turn off these lights?"

"Hmm, sure, no problem. I've got plenty of light over here."

"M'kay." And she proceeded to blow them out.

Heading back to the bed, Hitomi's heart filled with anxiety. She put her hands on the knot of the robe and debated whether to sleep with the robe on or off. With trembling hands, she pulled the knot loose, turned around so her back was facing Van, slipped it off her shoulders, and set it at the foot of the bed. Then she pulled the covers back and slid into bed, taking great care not to face him.

Pulling the covers up to her chin, she whispered to herself, "You're such a coward, Hitomi. When did you become such a coward?"

"Did you say something, Hitomi?"

"No, nothing. Just clearing my throat." She lay there for several minutes before adding, "Goodnight, Van."

His response seemed to take forever but finally she heard, "Goodnight… Hitomi."

The confused young girl curled up and pulled the covers around her tightly, pressing the side of her face into the pillow. _'What's wrong with me? This isn't me. I'm not like this. I'm… I'm…' _

Closing her eyes, she listened carefully, trying to make out what it was Van was doing.

'He's counting something now, I think. … Whatever it was, he just put it back in the saddlebag. … Did he just sigh? … Was it because of something we need…or was it because of me?'

She shrank into the bed just a bit more as silent tears stained her pillow.

"Hitomi, are you still up?"

She drew in a sharp breath. "Hmm, yes, Van," she whispered.

"We'll stop at the plaza before we leave tomorrow. Get you some new clothes."

"A-okay. Sounds good. Thank you." She pulled the covers a little higher.

"Can't exactly go weeks in just one outfit." Before she could reply, he continued. "Well, I guess you could. I mean we had to do it before, didn't we? But we don't have to now."

Hitomi gave a faint giggle, which faded away all too quickly.

A few moments later, she heard Van's forced breath as the room grew darker with each puff of air.

'He's blowing the last of the candles out. He's coming to bed now. … What's he waiting for? … He doesn't know whether to sleep with the robe or not either. … He took it off.'

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(000)

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Van pulled the covers back. Looking down at the bed, he saw the troubled girl curled up in the far corner of the mattress and his heart sank. Without a sound, he got into bed, lying on his back with his hands under his head, as was his normal custom. His eyes, having adjusted for the faint stream of moonlight that filtered in from between the curtains, focused on a modest sized crack in the ceiling. _'Will it get bigger and need to be replaced, or will they mend it before it gets that bad?' _He drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes.

A moment later he felt movement on the bed, then felt the warm gentle caress from the girl he loved as she nuzzled up next to him and gently ran her hand over his chest in a slow, small circular motion.

"Van," she whispered. "I'm… I'm… I'm…"

"Shhhh, it's alright, Hitomi." He pulled his hands out from under his head and held her close. "It'll be… all right."

Sleep did not come easy that night for either of them, but when it did come, it came with the hope of better things with the arrival of the morning's sun.

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(To Be Continued)

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AN: With my beloved beta-reader back and at top form, I'm reposting this chapter with her corrections. I'm sure you'll find this version of Chapter 94 much cleaner than the one that was previously up. Thanks so much Janice for being there for me. **hugs and kisses**

And thank you everyone who read and reviewed this chapter already. I loved reading every single one of them. Chapter 96 is well underway and should be done in a week or two depending on how crazy work is and how much time I have when I get home. Lately, I've had next to no time, which is why it's been taking me so long to get out updates, and I don't really see that changing anytime soon. Sorry, but please be patient and I'll try to have it out as soon as possible.

A. Amishi


	96. Chapter 95

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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Chapter 95

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Viirus

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Hitomi took her time browsing through one tent shop after another, admiring the local wares while looking for an outfit or two that would suit her taste. While no where as large as the plaza in Palas, the plaza in Tiirus still had enough variety to bring a smile to the teenage girl's face.

She had already purchased two pairs of riding slacks, very similar to the type Millerna wore the first time she had seen her when the young princess came riding up to the Crusade to greet Allen Schezar, one in a dark navy blue and the other in a deep forest green. Now, she was in search of a few blouses to go with the slacks, and a nightgown as well.

A faint frown crossed the girl's lips as she recalled Van making a point of reminding her to purchase a nightgown. He emphasized finding something that would keep her warm, reminding her that they still had at least a few more nights of sleeping outdoors before they returned to the castle. Still, she couldn't help feeling a bit rejected.

'_I was plenty warm the other night with just you and the blanket, Van. Don't you like sleeping next to my naked body?' _A pensive expression crossed her face. _'Well, you did come to bed last night without your robe, so maybe that's not it. Maybe you're just worried about my health? It wouldn't be much of a trip if I got sick, would it?' _A sense of ease filled her heart. _'Yeah, that must be it.'_

Her joyful expression intensified as she came across an assortment of crewneck blouses. "Hmmm, I wonder if Van will like these?" She held one up against herself and stepped in front of the mirror that was propped up on the far corner of the tent. She smiled at her reflection. "Yes… yes, I think he will."

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Van made his way quickly through the market place, selecting a number of eatable roots, and some dried meats and fruits as well as some unleavened bread. While the roots and the dried meat would not make the best tasting meals, he knew they would keep well for the length of their journey.

'_The dried fruit will make a nice dessert for Hitomi. She likes her sweets,' _he gave a faint grin.

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(000)

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In their freshly cleaned clothes and with their saddlebags filled, Van and Hitomi made their way across the stone bridge and out of the city of Viirus. They rode at a brisk pace following the path along the river.

Much as Hitomi had hoped, being out in the lightly cool sunny day, riding her horse swiftly along the wide sandy trail served to lift her spirits immensely. Seeing Hitomi in a happy, carefree mode lifted Van's spirits as well. This was the woman he knew: joyful and free.

When Van suggested they stop for lunch, Hitomi insisted they keep going, stopping only long enough to drink some water and take out a piece of meat and some bread from Van's extra saddlebag. They slowed down some while they ate but quickened their pace once they were done.

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(000)

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"Van!" Hitomi gave him a devilish grin. "Race you to that line of trees." She pointed to a long line of tall dark trees that stretched out to the edge of the shoreline about one kilometer ahead. "HA!" She snapped the reins and bolted off in a full gallop before he had a chance to reply.

Van smiled and whispered to himself, "That's my Hitomi. YA!" he yelled, racing off after her.

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(000)

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Fanelia Castle

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Merle sat on the roof of the castle with her arms wrapped around her legs and he cheek resting upon her knees. She stared out over the forest and tried to listen intently to the sounds of the distant river but even with her keen hearing, she could not make out its peculiar medley.

"Oh, Lord Van…" she sighed. "I missed Hitomi too," she sighed again. "Now I'm missing the both of you." She slid her arms up to her knees and buried her face under them.

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(000)

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In the courtyard, Captain Leopold could just make out the lonely figure sitting atop the castle with her back to them. Sadness filled the captain's heart for the young cat girl. He lowered his sword and turned towards the solitary girl.

Suddenly, he felt a blade press against his throat. Leopold's eyes widened in alarm, stealing a glance in the direction of the sword, he saw the angry glare of his practice opponent.

"How dare you," Captain Cid scowled. "You dishonor me by allowing yourself to be distracted so easily." He withdrew his sword and looked in the direction his friend was staring.

"I'll never understand your attraction to that strange little creature. Do you crave to make her your pet?"

Leopold's eyes flared with anger. "Hold your tongue, lest I hold it for you with the tip of my blade." He threatened his friend, raising his sword and adjusting his stance.

A crooked half-grin made its way upon Cid's face as he raised his sword. "On guard."

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(000)

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Vinsorii Forest

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The young couple slowly made their way through the dense forest. It would be several long hours before they exited the forest to follow a path along the river again. By then they would be well into Fanelia and only a couple hours from Arzas. The underbrush was far too dense close to the river so they had to move further inland but as long as they could hear the rushing waters of the Vinsorii, they knew they were heading in the right direction.

"So, Hitomi, tell me about your performance in your final race." Van spoke suddenly after nearly twenty minutes of comfortable silence.

"Huh?" The sandy-haired girl looked up at him suddenly. With Van leading the way through the forest, she had her eyes upon the non-existent path her horse was following. "Didn't I tell you about it already?"

"Only that you won your race and your school captured the… championship was it? But you didn't elaborate. You usually tell me each detail during our nighttime communications. Your tales are quite exciting. I look forward to hearing your re-count of your adventures each time. This final race, it was an important one, was it not?"

"Oh, you know Van, just like all the other races really. I won, we won." she smiled. "Nothing really to tell." She giggled.

"Oh, I see." Van replied, turning his attention back to finding the clearest way through the forest. _'Is that the problem? Did something occur during the… meet? Whatever happened must have really bothered her if she's still unwilling to talk about it.'_ He stole a glance back and saw the sad expression upon the girl's face. _'That must be it. But why won't she talk to me about it? Doesn't she trust me?' _The young king's heart grew heavy with the realization of what he felt was the only possible answer to his query.

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(To Be Continued)

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AN:Sorry for making this chapter so short, but this seemed like a good place to stop, otherwise it would be much longer and take much more time to post. With it this short, I feel like I can keep a handle on it and hopefully find most of my typos myself. Unfortunately, my Beta-reader is still suffering from a serious dose of real life. It breaks my heart, not that she hasn't been able to edit my stories, but that we haven't even had time to chat. Janice, if you're reading this just know I love you and am waiting patiently to hear from you again.

I'd really like to thank everyone who's read my story and a special Thank You to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. I cherish every review I receive, no mater how short, no matter how fiery. It lets me know that you cared enough to take the time to let me know how your felt about my work and that is such a treasure to me. Thank you.

In response to some of your inquiries. I guess the main one is, what's wrong with Hitomi? Well, I suppose the best answer I have for that is, Re-read Chapter 87 and pay special attention to the second half of the chapter. That will tell you what's going on with Hitomi. I know it's probably been awhile since most of you have read that chapter so it's a good idea to go back. You should find your answer there. Also, I felt it had been far too long since we'd heard from Merle as well as from your young captains, Leopold and Cid. Not really much going on with them all but just a simple reminder that they are still apart of the story.

Again, I try to get on AIM and MSN Messenger as often as I can, so if you'd like to chat, by all means look me up. My username for each is listed on my profile. I always enjoy making new friends. 

I hope to have the next chapter up sooner than it took me to get this chapter up but only time will tell.

Love,

A. Amishi


	97. Chapter 96

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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Chapter 96

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It had been over an hour since they exited the forest, and they were now riding along the sandy path next to the river once again. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as Hitomi returned to the melancholy mood she had been in the day before.

She glanced over at Van for what felt like the hundredth time. _'He's angry at me, I know it. I guess I can't blame him. Oh, you coward!' _she berated herself. _'Why can't you just talk to him? Tell him? He'll understand, won't he?'_ She sighed, stealing one more glance.

"Ah!" she gasped and turned away quickly as Van's eyes met hers.

'_Oooh, you're such a coward, Hitomi.' _She lowered her head in shame.

After another 15 minutes, she looked up into the sky. _'Must be late afternoon already?'_ She lifted her arm to check her watch. _'Oh, that's right; I left it at the castle.'_

"Something wrong, Hitomi?"

She looked over. "Oh, not really, Van. I was just wondering what time it was. I left my watch at the castle. Silly me." She giggled and gave a weak smile.

Van looked up and studied the position of the sun for moment, then looked at the trees across the lake. "I'm guessing it's about the sixteenth hour." He turned his gaze over to the girl riding next to him. "We should reach Arzas before the nineteenth hour."

Hitomi smiled. "Great… it will be nice to sleep on a real bed."

Van stared back and tilted his head, giving her a questioning stare.

She turned away, berating herself, _'Stupid! Where do you think you slept last night?'_

After a few minutes, she glanced over at him again. Lowering her eyes in sadness, she sighed to herself. _'What are you so afraid of, Hitomi? This is Van, for goodness sake. Just talk to him. He'll understand.'_ She glanced over again, staring at his profile for a moment before speaking. "Van?"

Turning to face her, he answered, "Yes, Hitomi."

"Can we stop for a little while? There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about for some time now. I just didn't know–," was as far as she got to say.

Van's eyes suddenly lost their focus on her and he strained to listen to noises coming from the forest. He raised his hand abruptly, gesturing to Hitomi to be silent, then he turned his horse around and advanced towards the woods.

Drawing his sword, Van turned slightly while still keeping his eyes on the forest and said to her, "Stay behind me… and if things get ugly, ride as fast as you can down along the shore. Don't stop for any reason."

Hitomi's heart raced and her breathing grew short and choppy.

"Do you understand?" he shouted.

"Yes, Van!" She backed her horse up closer to the river; her heart racing a million beats a minute.

Turning fully towards the woods, Van commanded, "Show yourselves and fight like men!"

After what felt like an eternity to Hitomi, several shadowed figures emerged from the trees to advance on them.. Her heart continued to race faster and faster. She tightened her hold on the reins, her eyes darting back and forth from Van to the shadowy figures.

"Is that how you greet both ally and enemy alike, Lord Van?"

Van smiled and lowered his sword. "Ruhm. Do you always sneak up on people like that?" Looking down, he sheathed his sword and leapt off his horse, turning to address his companion. "It's okay, Hitomi, it's Ruhm and his men."

Hitomi released the breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding. Smiling, she rode up next to Van and got down. "Hello, Ruhm." She walked up to him and placed her hands upon his upper arms to give him a mild hug.

"Hello, Lady Hitomi. It's good to see you again." The leader of the wolfen tribe smiled and returned the embrace. Releasing the girl, he smiled down at her once again before he turned and walked towards Van to shake his hand. "It's good to see you again, Lord Van."

"And you, my friend." The king shook his friend's hand. "But what brings you out this way?"

"Searching for you, Lord Van. When you didn't arrive yesterday, we headed towards the bridge to see if there was a problem. Needless to say, we saw that it was washed out."

"Again." Grabbing the reins of his horse, Van started to walk along the sandy path that Ruhm's men had already headed down.

"Allow me," Ruhm said. Taking the reins of Hitomi's horse, he followed along side the king. Hitomi was going to go on the other side of Van, but he took her hand and directed her to walk between him and Ruhm so she wouldn't be on the other side of his horse.

"So, Ruhm, don't you think it's about time we built a real bridge to connect your village to the rest of the kingdom?" Van posed.

"You may be right, Lord Van. The young ones in my village crave the trappings of the capital city, but the path around the river is so long that many choose not to return after making the journey. A reliable bridge would make it easier for them to return."

Van smiled at the prospect of seeing the eastern portion of his kingdom linked to the rest of it.

"Then again, the elders of the village would probably say that building a stone bridge would simply make it easier for the young in our village to leave that much faster."

The king's smile vanished as he unconsciously tightened his grip on Hitomi's hand.

"Van, you're hurting me." The girl flinched in pain.

"Oh!" Van eased his hold on his girlfriend's hand. "Sorry," he said as he raised it to his lips and kissed it.

Ruhm couldn't help but laugh. "Relax, Lord Van. Somehow, we'll convince the elders that building a stone bridge is what is best for our village and for the kingdom we are a part of."

Van sighed. "I'm glad to hear you say that, Ruhm. If you believe it to be true, then the battle is half won."

"Indeed."

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(000)

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Making their way to an inland path, Ruhm and his men took the horses ahead while their guests rode upon the great oxen the Wolf People used to transport their goods to market.

High above the ground on the creature's back, Hitomi enjoyed the view as they slowly made their way to the village. "Not that I'm complaining, but won't this take us longer to get to Arzas?"

Van leaned back and folded his hands behind his head. "No, the inland route is a more direct path to the village. So even though we're traveling slower, we should still get there about the same time."

"Oh, I see." Hitomi smiled, then turned towards the forest again.

After a few minutes, Van asked, "Hitomi, you wanted to tell me something earlier. What was it?"

The young teenager looked over at the king, then glanced at the ox driver, who glanced back ever so slightly before turning his attention back to the road ahead. She sighed and said, "It's not that important. It can wait till later." She looked down at her lap. "But promise me you'll ask me again, when we're alone." She stared pensively at the king.

"I promise." Van reached out and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.

Smiling, Hitomi scooted up next to him. "Mind if I use you as a pillow? I'm feeling a bit tired."

"I haven't had a problem with you doing it yet." The young king leaned further back, placed his hand upon her shoulder, and gently guided her down upon him. Resting her head upon his chest, Hitomi closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, savoring his fresh, clean scent.

"Rest well, Hitomi," he whispered. "Rest well."

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(000)

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Hitomi stood in the middle of the guest quarters, making final adjustments to the Arzasian gown she had been given. '_It's like to a kimono,'_ she thought, _'except that the obi ties in front in a large bow.'_

In general the Arzasian people were a hearty group and their clothes were designed to fit them comfortably. Because of this, the gown wrapped further around the young athlete than it was suppose to. Ruhm's wife, Dorha helped Hitomi with the adjustments.

"My, but you're so thin," the woman thought aloud as she tugged on the garment after tying the bow. In her effort to position the folds correctly she pulled the front open, exposing the young girl's bra.

"Aaah!" Hitomi pulled the gown tightly over her chest.

Dorha let out a mild laugh, reached into her pocket and pulled out a long pin, then carefully secured the front of the gown closed, preserving Hitomi's modesty.

The sandy-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much, Dorha."

"Think nothing of it, child. I'm happy to help," the stout woman replied. "We should be going. The festival will begin once Lord Van is presented to the crowd."

Hitomi nodded, slipped on the sandals she had been given, and followed the woman out the door.

They walked the short distance to the town square where all of the villagers were gathered, awaiting the arrival of their king. Dorha led Hitomi to the front of the crowd.

Moments later, Van stepped out from the building behind the temporary platform that had been erected for the festival. Along with him were Ruhm and the 5 village elders.

The villagers applauded enthusiastically upon seeing their king. Hitomi's eyes widened in mild shock at Van's attire, but she managed to get herself to applaud as well.

Walking up onto the platform, Van gestured to the crowd, and flashed a quick smile towards his companion. "On this, the Blue 10th Moon and the beginning of the End of Year Harvest; I, Van Fanel, King of Fanelia, proclaim the End of Year Harvest Festival opened!"

Great cheers rang out throughout the village as children ran about tossing flowers from large baskets cradled in their arms, and young man and women ran about tying brightly colored ribbons to everything and anything they could get their arms around. At the opposite end of the square burly young man banged away at six oversized drums, in perfect rhythm.

After shaking hands with Ruhm and the elder, Van jumped off the platform and walked over to Hitomi.

"So, what do you think?" He gestured to all that was taking place around them.

Hitomi turned all the way around, watching in wonder at the flurry of activity, then looked back at Van. "I think you must be cold in that." She smiled.

Van looked down at himself. "This is the ceremonial attire of the tribal leader. If I hadn't been able to attend, Ruhm would have worn this to open the festival. Before turning to an agrarian culture, the Arzasians were noted for centuries as fierce warriors and hunters. This was what they used to wear. Now it is only worn for festivals, like this."

"A leather strap in place of a shirt and a fur skirt." Hitomi struggled to keep from laughing. "Sexy." She grinned.

Holding his arms out to the side to give her a clear view of everything he had on, Van said, "Everything has a purpose. The leather sash holds the warrior's sword." He gestured to his sword, securely in place behind him, then reached back and quickly drew it in one fluid motion, causing Hitomi to jump back. "Sorry." He raised his hand to reassure her, then sheathed his sword with trained ease. Holding up his arm, he continued. "The armlets protect the back of the hand and forearms from enemy attack. They are surprisingly light and yet can stop a blow from the sharpest sword."

Hitomi ran her hand over the armlet. "It's metal."

Van nodded. "And the 'SKIRT', as you called it, is actually a Kalit and is made from the hide of the spotted bear, the toughest in all of Gaea." He lifted his foot to show her the bottom of his sandal. "And these battle sandals used to have spikes that would allow a warrior to better grip the ground, but these have had them filed off."

Hitomi nodded her understanding. "I see. But if the Arzasian's have stopped being warriors and are now farmers, why do they still wear this sort of thing, even just for ceremonies?"

"Because generations of warriors' blood courses through their veins. That can't be plowed away no matter how many seasons of tilling the soil have passed. By keeping such garments, they remember who they truly are and where they came from, but by displaying it only during festivals such as this one, which honors the harvest, they ensure that those memories stay where they should, locked away in the past."

"But wouldn't they make good fighters in your army?"

"The Arzasians historically ally themselves with no one. The blood thirst that fills their eyes and their heart prevent them from fighting next to anyone other than another Arzasian. You've seen that look before. Remember the first time you came to Gaea with me after I slew the dragon? The Wolfmen who surrounded us would surely have torn us to bits had Ruhm not been there. It's his ability to temper his deeper, natural instincts that make him such a good leader to his people." Catching a glimpse of Dorha waving to get his attention, Van smiled and nodded, then turned his attention back to his girlfriend. "We should sit. The feast is about to begin." He took her hand and led her to the table of honor where he, Ruhm, and the elders were to sit.

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(000)

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Hitomi stood by the bedroom window, looking out into the night sky. The day's festivities had helped her forget her worries for a time. Being filled with food and dancing, story telling and song, had helped make the day one of the happiest she could remember in a long time. Now, staring up at the star filled sky, Hitomi reflected upon it all and the joy she felt being here with Van.

"It's sooo beautiful here, so peaceful." She sighed with a smile. Looking out across the meadow, she thought she could see something moving. Focusing her attention upon it, Hitomi realized it was a person, walking towards her. Her heart skipped a beat and she took a step away from the window, but after a few moments she realized who it was and went back to the window to undo the lock.

Opening the window slowly, the teenaged girl whispered, "Van… what are you doing out this late at night?"

Van waited until he was just a few steps away before answering. "Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd take a walk. Care to join me?"

Hitomi hesitated only for a moment, then nodded. "I'll be right there." She pulled the window closed and locked it.

Van walked around to the front of the house. A minute later, Hitomi stepped out with her sandals in her hand and quietly closed the door behind her. She walked to the end of the porch and sat down. She slipped them on and stood back up. "Lead the way." She smiled.

Van took her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze. Returning the smile, he lead the way out of the village.

They walked past the meadow and through a small break in the forest until they came to a clearing next to a small stream.

"Whoa!"

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Van asked.

"I've never seen so many stars in my life," Hitomi marveled. "But how could this be? Why are there more stars here than anyplace else we've been?"

"It's not the place, it's the time," the young king answered.

"The time?"

"Mmm, It's the star-filled night that marks the end of year harvest."

"Oh, I see."

Van sat on the tall grass and patted the ground next to him. Hitomi took the hint and sat down.

Drawing in a deep breath, she let it out and whispered, "It's sooo beautiful."

They sat there and gazed up at the stars for nearly an hour. Van pointed out the dragon constellations that made up the bases of worship on Gaea, and Hitomi did the best she could to point to the Chinese constellations, but she wasn't even sure if she was looking at the right sky for them.

Eventually, they grew silent and simply enjoyed the star-filled night in peace.

After several minutes, Van spoke.

"Hitomi?"

"Yes, Van?"

"I just want you to know…" He paused. "That if there is ever anything troubling you, anything at all, you can trust me, I'm here for you. I'll do everything in my power to help you, to set things right… even if it means returning to the Mystic Moon with you."

Hitomi turned away.

Van waited for a reply, but after several minutes, when it appeared none was forthcoming, he added, "I also know… that sometimes… there are things we feel we can't share with anyone, even those closest to us." Van paused. "I don't want you to feel like you have to tell me everything. I respect your need for privacy." He paused again, trying to think of anything else he could possibly say to set Hitomi's mind at ease.

His thoughts were interrupted when she turned and hugged him fiercely, burying her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed his cheek against her hair.

"I love you, Van," she whispered.

"I know, Hitomi. I love you too."

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(To be continued)

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AN: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was really hard for me to write because it was a tweener chapter. Those are always tough to write. I hope to include a whole lot more action in the next chapter. We'll see if I get far enough for it.

I'd like to say a very special thank you to my always-awesome beta-reader, Janice. She really out did herself this time around. Trust me, if you believe this chapter was worth reading, it was in large part do to her wonderful editing. Thanks so very much, Janice.

For those of you who don't know yet, I've created a Forum on for this story. Just click on the Forums tab, then select Anime, then Escaflowne. It's called,

Escaflowne: All you need Is Love Forum

Please feel free to drop on by, and check it out, add a thread, reply to an existing thread, whatever. I check on it several times a week so I'll be able to answer your question and respond to your thoughts and ideas. Looking forward to hearing from you all.

But please, still review. I love reading your reviews and now that I finally realize that I can click on the reply button, I will be replying to all signed reviews. Should be fun.

A. Amishi


	98. Chapter 97

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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Chapter 97 (edited version)

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A half-day's ride outside of Arzas

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Riding along the river's path, Hitomi couldn't help but smile every time she looked over and saw the happy expression on Van's face. They had been riding for some time and his demeanor remained unchanged.

"Okay, what happened that has you so happy today?" she finally asked, tired of waiting for him to mention it on his own.

Van glanced over and smiled. "What? Can't I just be happy for happiness sake? It's a beautiful day. Unseasonably warm. And I'm riding with the most wonderful girl in all of Gaea." He reached over and took her hand. "Why shouldn't I be happy?"

Hitomi gave him a suspicious stare. "Okay, who are you and what did you do with my Van?"

The young king let out a deep belly laugh, one like Hitomi had never seen from him before. "Okay, okay… " He took a moment to compose himself. "You know me too well, Hitomi." He slowed his horse down and turned it around till he was facing his companion. "Well, it took three days but Ruhm and I managed to persuade the village elders to allow me to build a stone bridge across the river." He gestured.

"That's wonderful, Van!" Hitomi smiled.

"I dispatched a messenger to the castle. Sir Baschan should have the plans drawn up and the builders ready to begin by the time we return."

"How did you do it? When you mentioned it on the first day of the festival, they seemed dead set against it."

"Well, it took some serious persuasion, and in the end I had to offer a number of concessions." Van admitted.

"Concessions? What type of concessions?" the emerald-eyed girl asked.

"Well, for one, the wolven people will not be allowed to move to Fanelia Castle, or granted passage aboard any of our ships for at least five years."

Hitomi's expression changed from joy to shock. "These were concessions the elders wanted?"

Van nodded. "They're afraid of losing their young people, the future of their tribe. They hope that by limiting their ability to leave they'll come to appreciate their roots all the more, and think long and hard before abandoning their village."

"But you're taking away their freedom."

Van's expression turned dark. "No more than it is already. Once the bridge is built, a person will be able to travel from Arzas to Fanelia Castle in a day, a day and a half. Right now, it takes anywhere from three to five days depending on their cargo. And wolven tribe has always had the freedom to cross the Asturian border. That hasn't changed."

Hitomi looked away. "I hate to think what other concessions you agreed to."

"Those were the harshest." Van turned his horse about and began riding again. When Hitomi pulled up next to him, he added, "I hope this isn't an example of what it will be like every time I make a decision. I could do without a queen that offers uninformed opinions."

Hitomi felt her heart clench. She stared at him with watery eyes and trembling lips. "Well, maybe you won't have to worry about having a queen at all."

Seeing the pained expression upon her face, Van regretted his angry words. "Hitomi-" But before he could say anything else, she took off racing down the path.

Van stared after her for a moment, then turned aside. "Dammit!" After a few deep breaths, he looked back up to see that she showed no sign of slowing down. "Dammit…. Haaa!" He snapped the reins and gave the beast a firm kick, sending it into a gallop.

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'_Why did I come? I should have stayed home,'_ Hitomi cried. Her tears blurred her vision, causing her to slow down a bit, but when she heard Van approaching her sadness turned to anger and she bolted down the path as fast as she could go.

Van's frustration grew when he realized he was not getting any closer. "Damn, she's good," he said through clinched teeth.

They rode nearly two kilometers near the shoreline, weaving between bushes and trees.

"Hitomi!" Van cried out. "Hitomi!"

But she didn't slow down. Rather, she pushed her horse harder still. By now the distance was beginning to take its toll on the smaller animal and try as she might, Hitomi couldn't get anything more from the beast. Gradually, Van began to draw near.

"Hitomi! Please!"

Still, she refused to stop. Seeing no alternative, Van rode up next to her, reached out, and grabbed the reins from her, gradually slowing her horse down. To his surprise, the moment the creature stopped, Hitomi jumped off and ran into the forest. "Hitomi! Wait!"

But she didn't stop; instead she wove her way through the thick underbrush.

Van jumped down from his steed and quickly secured both horses to a tree before running after her.

Running through the dense forest was torture on Hitomi's legs as well as her clothes. The wool material of her Spanish riding outfit snagged and caught on every branch, bush, and vine she brushed against; and while she was a killer on a flat track, the uneven ground slowed her down considerably. She had rolled her ankle twice already but continued to run, despite the pain. But this was Van's environment, and she could hear him drawing closer each passing moment.

'_No! I won't let him catch me. I won't.' _She continued to dart through the woods, desperately trying to get away from her pursuer. Seeing a clearing up ahead, she headed straight for it. _'If I can just reach it, then there's no way he'll catch me.'_

From behind, she heard Van yell, "Hitomi! Wait! It's dangerous!" but she didn't stop. _'Almost there.' _The next words she heard him yell caught her attention though. "Hitomi! It's a cliff!"

She tried to stop, but she had already reached the clearing and the forest went right up to the edge. It was not a sheer cliff, but a forty-five degree slope that went about sixty meters. Her forward moment carried her over the edge and she tumbled down, head over heels.

Van heard Hitomi scream as she vanished from sight but moments later, the screams stopped. "HITOMI!" He ran as fast as he could to the edge of the cliff and jumped; his wings bursting out from his back, sending the tattered remains of his shirt in every direction. Scanning the ground below he quickly spotted Hitomi rolling down the hillside. He flew down to her, reaching her as she came to a stop where the ground leveled out and the forest started again.

Landing next to her, he called out, "Hitomi… Hitomi… can you hear me?" He placed his cold, trembling hand upon her neck but couldn't distinguish a pulse, so he pressed his ear to her chest and listened. "Thank the gods." He lowered his head in silent prayer, regaining his composure and quickly going over in his head what he needed to do next.

Van called out to her again. "Hitomi!" She still did not respond. He snapped his fingers by her ears and though she did not awaken, he noticed subtle eye movements under her closed lids. "Okay." He carefully inspected her head for any bumps or cuts. There were none and the young king breathed a sigh of relief. Next he checked her neck and spine, gently rolling the young teen on her side so he could feel down her back. Everything felt in place, no bulges or unexpected twists. "So far, so good."

Taking a moment to decide what to check next, he noticed that her right shoulder looked out of place. Taking great care, he ran his hands over it. "Oh no," he whispered. "What have I done? What have I done?"

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(To Be Continue)

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AN: Okay, as promised, here is the edited version of this chapter. While my own editing skills seem to have improved slightly, seeing the corrections my beta made, shows me just how much I need her. Thank you so much, Janice.

Any questions or insights you'd like to offer concerning this fic can be posted on the forum I've created at under anime Escaflowne. Please, check it out.

A. Amishi


	99. Chapter 98

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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Chapter 98

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As the empty, darkness retreated; Hitomi felt a dull aching pain from her head to her toes. She groaned. "What happened to me?" No answer came.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and was greeted by the orange hue of a warm fire burning close by, the sound of a gentle breeze rustling the nearby trees, and the star-filled night sky. "Where am I?"

"At a clearing near the river." A familiar voice answered.

Gingerly, she turned her head and saw the young king of Fanelia emerging from the forest with wood for the fire in his arms. He walked past her and added some of them to the fire. Then he retrieved his canteen and a piece of cloth, and knelt down next to her.

"How are you feeling, Hitomi?" He whispered softly.

"Van." Seeing the deep, sad expression upon his face broke the young girl's heart. "What happened? How… how? …" She shook her head, which caused it to throb painfully. "Huh." Hitomi tried lift her right hand to her forehead but her arm didn't move from under her chest. She looked up at him with a worried expression. "Van?"

"You dislocated your shoulder when you fell. I had to pop it back in place. There was no bruising. Least, none that I saw a couple hours ago, but I immobilized your arm just to be safe." He opened the canteen and slid his hand under her head. "Here, drink."

With Van's help, she lifted her head and drank. "Thank you, Van." She licked her lips dry.

The king nodded then poured some water on the cloth, folded it and laid it gently upon the injured girl's forehead.

"Aah," she sighed. "That feels good." She tried to smile but even that hurt. "What happened to me, Van?" Her eyes pleaded.

"What's the last think you remember?" He asked, sitting down next to her.

She tried to think, but everything was a blurry haze. "I-I'm not sure. I sorta remember… crying… and running… and… and falling." She closed her eyes, desperately trying to recall but to no avail. "The last think I remember clearly was leaving Arzas, and riding back to the river to follow the trail south towards the ocean."

Van nodded and lowered his gaze. "We argued. I insulted you. You got angry and rode off. I rode off after you."

Images flashed in Hitomi's mind, nothing entirely clear but moments, instances of memory.

"I caught up to you and stopped your horse, but you jumped off and ran into the forest. I ran after you. You ran to a clearing but it turned out to be a cliff. Not a sheer drop, fortunately but steep enough. You rolled down the face of the cliff. By the time I got to you, you'd already reached the bottom… unconscious. Your shoulder was dislocated and so was your knee-"

"My knee!" Hitomi panicked. "No, not my knee!" Through all the pain she was feeling, she tried to isolate the pain in her legs to determine which hurt more. "I dislocated my left knee? God, I have to get back home! I have to get to a hospital!" Tears started streaming down her face. "God, why my knee? Anything but my knee!" She sobbed.

"Relax, Hitomi. You didn't dislocate your knee, only your knee cap." Van assured her.

She looked up at him. "M-my knee cap. Only my knee cap." She tried to gain control over her breathing. "Yeah… well, I guess it would hurt a lot more than it does if it were my knee that was dislocated and not just my knee cap." The tears stopped and she managed to crack a faint smile.

Van wiped her tears away and gently caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. "I'm so sorry, Hitomi. If I hadn't lost my temper, none of this would have happened." A tear escaped his eye and slowly made its way down his cheek. "I'm so very sorry, Hitomi."

"Oh, Van… " She reached up with her good hand and wiped his tear away, then brought her hand around to the back of his head and pulled him down to her. Their foreheads touched and Hitomi turned just enough to kiss his cheek. "Lay here with me, Van. Please."

"But your injuries… " He protested.

"Please Van." Fresh tears welled up in the girl's eyes.

The young king nodded ever so slightly, then stretched out next to her. She flinched a bit and he tried to back away, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him close. "It's all right." She forced a smile.

Van carefully slid his arm under her head and gazed deeply into her sparkling emerald eyes. "It seems all I know how to do is cause you pain on this trip."

"That's not true."

"You've been suffering emotionally for days now, because I make it too hard for you to talk to me. Now, I've caused you physical pain as well." He wiped away her tears again.

"No Van. That's not true. It's my own fault. All of it." She pressed her cheek up against his arm. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry," she whispered.

They fell silent for a time, neither sure what else to say. After several minutes, Hitomi asked, "What were we fighting about?" Seeing Van hesitate to reply, she added, "Was it about my last race?"

"No, it's nothing really." He looked away. "I… " Van sighed. "I told you about the bridge, how the elders consented to having it built, with concessions."

Hitomi looked puzzled.

"It's not important. You were right. Restricting the freedom of the wolven people is too high a price to pay just to have the convenience of a bridge. I'll send word to Sir Baschan once we reach the sea."

"Oh." Still puzzled, Hitomi offered Van a faint smile before turning her head and looking up at the stars.

After several long minutes of silence, Van asked, "Hitomi, what happened at your last meet that's had you so upset?"

The teenage girl continued to stare up at the stars.

Van studied her profile, hoping it might reveal her secrets to him.

Slowly, Hitomi's lips began to quiver and her breathing became labored, then tears began to fall from the corner of her eyes.

"Hitomi, if it hurts too much to talk about it--"

She shook her head and smiled weakly while keeping her eyes on the stars. "It's not that Van." She turned her head and gazed into his eyes. "It's just…" She closed her eyes, and after a moment looked back up at the night sky. "I know it's going to sound so dumb, so pointless to you. But it means so much to me…"

Van waited patiently.

Several minutes later… "The last race of the day was the girl's four by one hundred meter relay. I've explained what a relay race was before, didn't I, Van?"

He nodded.

"The meet was a dead heat between us and East Yokohama. The winner of this race would win the meet. I was running the anchor leg. The other three girls on my team ran as hard and as fast as they could and we had a slight lead, but just as she was ready to hand me the baton, Harumi's ankle gave and she started to fall. I caught the baton with my fingertips but couldn't hold on. It slipped out of my hand and fell to the ground in front of me. Luckily, it bounce back up and I was able to catch it but I lost precious time, and I was running against Ruri Hayamoto, one of the fastest sprinters in all of Kanagawa Prefecture. I had to run the race of my life, faster than I've ever run before. And I did. We won the race, the meet, and the championship." Hitomi smiled sadly as fresh tears fell from her eyes.

Van remained silent, not wanting to say anything that would upset the girl he loved any more than she was already.

Finally, she added, "And I did it, without you, Van. I did it without thinking of you, without visualizing you. I wanted to win and that desire alone was enough to push me, make me run faster then ever."

"And this scares you?"

Hitomi just nodded. "I'm just a first year student with two more years of high school ahead of me. If I keep improving, if my times get even better, people will start to take notice. Important people. People who have the power and money to send me to national and maybe even international meets to represent my country."

Van's eyes widened. Gently, he freed his arm from under Hitomi's head and stood up.

"Van?" The girl's heart raced.

He turned and started adding more wood to the fire. With his back toward her, he spoke. "A swordsman doesn't reach his full potential until his body finishes maturing and he has fought hundreds, even thousands of duels." He paused. "To represent one's kingdom in a dueling match is one of the greatest honors a warrior can hope to achieve."

"Van." Hitomi's tears ran unchecked.

"We need more firewood." He stood up. "You should get some sleep, Hitomi. You need to rest. It's the best thing for your injuries." He walked off into the wood.

"Van… " Hitomi's voice cracked. "Van… please… " There was no response. She raised her hand to her mouth as she wept uncontrollably. "Van…" she whispered and pressed her hand to her forehead. "Van…"

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(To Be Continued)

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AN: Well that was a little faster, wasn't it? I hope you enjoyed it. Do you feel as sorry for Hitomi as I do? Please, let me know what you think. Either by review or by posting at my Escaflowne form on Comments and speculations concerning what is to come are welcomed.

While I am forwarding this chapter to my beta, I have gone ahead and posted as is. So please be kind concerning grammatical error. Those will be corrected after Janice returned me her edited version and I get a chance to go through them.

Plan on reaching 100 chapters before ACEN'06 so that means minimally 2 more chapters before May. Hopefully, more then that even.

A. Amishi


	100. Chapter 99

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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Chapter 99

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A violent shiver woke Hitomi Kanzaki up. The morning air was gray and misty. It matched perfectly the way her body felt, though she didn't hurt nearly as much this morning as she did the night before. Using her good arm, she pushed herself up to a sitting position, gritting her teeth from the effort.

"The fire is out." She looked about. "Did Van come back at all last night?"

She heard one of the horses, and looked towards the river. In the distance, she could make out Van tending to the animals. She smiled and was about to call out his name, but the image of Van as he looked back at her just before he walked off into the forest the night before, flashed in her mind. The sad, pained expression, which tore her heart apart last night, stayed her tongue.

She looked down at herself in disgust. "You fool. You brought this on yourself. All of it." She pulled the blanket off of her and took a good look at herself. Van had changed her out of her tattered riding clothes and into a nightgown while she was unconscious, so she pulled the gown up. She winced looking at her legs. There were scratches and bruises all over, and her knee was carefully wrapped. "I'm such an idiot. When did I become so frail and weak? When did I start letting every little thing bother me? This isn't me. I'm stronger than that." Hitomi's face took on a determined expression. With much effort she tried to roll forward onto her good knee so she could stand up.

"Hitomi! Don't!" Van ran over to her, dropped a pair of saddlebags near the fire pit, and helped her sit back down.

"I can do it, Van. I need to get up, if I'm going to ride down to the ocean with you," she insisted.

"You're not going to the ocean with me."

"What?" she said in shock.

"I'm taking you back to Arzas. They'll take care of you there, and in a few days, when you're better, they'll take you back to the castle," he explained.

Hitomi looked at the saddlebags and realized they were hers. "Y-you're serious? You don't want me to go with you?"

"It not a matter of not wanting you with me. It's a matter of doing what's best for you, and right now, taking care of your injuries is more important."

She wanted to protest, she wanted to tell him she would be all right, but she held her tongue and instead looked down and nodded.

"All right then." Van grabbed the blanket she had slept on and draped it over her shoulders, then he grabbed the saddlebags and placed them on her lap. "I need you to hold onto them."

Hitomi looked up at him sadly and nodded.

He grabbed the blanket and covered her legs as well, then stood up and took a few steps back. Van pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. Clenching his fists, he focused all his energy and a second later his long flowing white wings erupted from his back.

Hitomi gasped in wonder. It never ceased to amaze her every time she saw him do that.

The Draconian knelt down and cradled the young teenage girl in his arms. She kept her hand on the saddlebags but leaned into him, resting her head upon his shoulder as he stood up.

"Ready?" he asked.

Hitomi gave a slight nod but didn't look up.

In an instant, they were up in the air and soaring over the trees, but Hitomi kept her head down with her eyes nearly shut.

'_How can I blame him? If I were Van, I wouldn't want me around right now either.' _She frowned. _'That's it. Stop wallowing in self-pity. Stop thinking only of yourself. Van is a king. He has responsibilities, and he can't be worrying about me, and taking care of me every second of every day. I need to take care of myself. I need to be ready and able to support him. That's what a wife does, that's what a queen does. If I'm going to marry him someday, then I need to learn these things and stop being so selfish and close minded.' _ Hitomi smiled, then looked up at Van. _'He's so handsome, so… ' _She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

Van gaped and looked down at the girl in his arms. His eyes widened a bit, seeing her smiling up at him.

Though he didn't ask, Hitomi leaned in and said, "Because… I love you, Van."

The young king smiled and tightened his hold ever so slightly, not enough to hurt her, but enough to let her know he felt the same way.

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(000)

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In a matter of minutes, Van was over the village of Arzas. A crowd gathered as he cycled the village square coming down for a landing. He touched down and drew his wings back as best he could.

The children were in awe of their winged king and wanted to touch them to see if they were real. Most of the adults stood back in fear. Ruhm stepped forward, not hiding his surprise.

"Van, why the sudden return? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Hitomi's been injured. Nothing too serious, but I think it's best that she return to Fanelia Castle as soon as she's well enough to travel. Will you tend to her and see she's returned to the capital safely?" his king replied.

"Of course." Ruhm reached out and took the girl into his arms. "I'll return her there myself."

"Thank you, dear friend." Turning to his love, Van reached out and ran his hand over her hair and down her cheek. "I'll return to the castle as soon as I can, Hitomi."

"I'll be waiting for you." She assured him and kissed his palm.

He smiled at her, then turned back to Ruhm. "Her horse is about a half a days ride from here, near a clearing by the river."

"I'll send some men to get it, don't worry," the leader of the wolven tribe replied.

"Thank you Ruhm." Van nodded. He looked to Hitomi once more and smiled. "I'll see you soon." In an instant he was airborne and soaring up near the clouds.

"Good luck, Van!" She cried out as she watched him soar high into the sky and out of sight. Turning to Ruhm, she couldn't help but blush. "Sorry to be a bother."

The wolven leader smiled as he carried her to his cabin. "It's no trouble at all, Lady Hitomi." He turned to the crowd. "Okay people, the show is over. Let's get back to work."

Slowly, the crowd disbursed. The adults went back about their daily chores while the children ran about gathering up the feathers that fell from Van's wings.

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(To Be Continued)

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AN: Yes, it's short, but it covers what I wanted it to. Again, I am posting this before my beta has had a chance to look at it. And just like chapter 97, I'll repost after I go through her edits. Hopefully, I've caught most of the errors already.

Next chapter should be up next week, I hope, but I'm not promising anything since it will depend on how much time I have to devote to my writing.

To those attending ACEN this year, I was hoping to host an Escaflowne fan panel but now it looks like it probably won't happen. I can't tell you how disappointed I am but the folks running Panel Programming have got me so frustrated, I'm about ready to give up. Anyway, if you are going to ACEN, let me know on the forum and maybe we can meet. I'd love to take some time and talk about this wonderful show with you.

A. Amishi


	101. Chapter 100

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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Chapter 100

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From Ruhm's porch Hitomi watched the early morning mist slowly burn away with the approaching sun.

"Its so beautiful here," she whispered with a smile, shivering suddenly.

"You'll catch a death of cold child." Dorha draped a heavy blanket over the girl's shoulders.

"Thank you so much, for everything." Hitomi smiled up at her.

"Nonsense; as far as I'm concerned, Van is family and that means you're family too." The stout woman gently ran her hand over the girl's back to help her warm up.

Hitomi smiled sadly. "Thank you. I just hope I'm worthy of it. I've made a mess of so many things."

"Child, Van loves you." Dorha smiled. "And you love him?"

"With all my heart."

"That's all that really matters. Everything else will work itself out, you'll see."

Hitomi smiled, feeling a bit more hopeful than she had in days.

"Now, come inside. Breakfast is almost ready."

Hitomi nodded and followed her inside.

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(000)

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Van cleared the forest and saw a Basram ship anchored about a hundred cubits off shore. Dismounting, Van reached into his saddlebag and pulled out an energist. He walked up to the shoreline and held it high over his head. A few seconds later, the stone began to glow brightly, suddenly, a flash of light shot high into the air.

A few moments later, a flare shot up from the ship and one of its boats was lowered to the water.

Van lowered the energist and covered it with a dark cloth. Slowly, the light faded until it returned to its natural green hue. He walked over to his horse and placed it back in the saddlebag. "Ready to go for a swim boy?" He patted the beast, and then began removing its saddle.

Several minutes later the boat pulled up on shore and two soldiers jumped out. "King Van?"

"I am." He held up his sheathed sword, and drew out the blade, just enough for the soldiers to see the royal crest.

They went down on one knee. "Your Majesty." Upon rising, the senior officer informed the king. "The Prime Minister awaits you aboard his ship, if you'll come with us?" He gestured to the boat.

"Will you be able to get my horse on board?" the king asked.

"Yes, my Lord. That shouldn't be a problem."

The two soldiers loaded Van's things aboard the boat, and pushed it back into the water.

"Come ! Come here boy!" Van called out. The stallion walked up to the shoreline and turned from side to side, then stepped away.

"Come on???! It's all right!"

Bobbing his head up and down several times, the horse slowly walked up to the water once again and cautiously stepped in.

The soldiers waited till the horse drew near to the boat, then they started rowing towards the ship. Van kept a hand near the water to coax his horse on.

"That's a good boy."

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A few minutes later, they pulled up next to the ship. A sailor, holding one end of a net, jumped into the water and quickly swam under the horse, then he scurried up a rope ladder, which hung from the side of the ship, and connected the two ends to a rope and pulley. Van waited till his steed was safely aboard before boarding the ship himself.

"Lord Van! It's good to see you again." Minister Vallentii offered his king a hand up.

"Sir Vallentii, you're in good spirits." Van gave is minister a firm handshake.

"I have reason to be." The Minister of State gestured towards the captain's quarters. "Things could not have gone better for us if we had planned it all out ourselves. The Prime Minister is this way."

Entering the captain's quarters that were serving as the Prime Minister's quarters, the Fanelia Minister of State announced his king's arrival. "Prime Minister, allow me to introduce to you, King Van Fanel."

The tall, lean, middle-aged man, who had been in the process of pouring himself a drink, set the glass down and walked up the young king and bowed. "Your Majesty, it is a great pleasure to finally meet the true hero of the Great War."

Van returned the gesture. "The pleasure is all mine, Prime Minister."

"Please, gentleman, have a seat." He gestured towards the chairs in front of the large table in the middle of the room. "May I offer you a drink?" He grabbed two more glasses and began to pour.

"Thank you, Prime Minister Falco," Van acknowledged.

The Prime Minister handed each man a glass. "Come Van, we are both leaders of men, of countries. No reason to stand on formality. Just call me Wallace. May I call you Van?"

"By all means." Van took a drink. "Hmm, this tastes familiar." He took another drink. "Rice wine, from Cesario."

The Prime Minister smiled. "Your Minister Beckett introduced me to it. I must say; it has become my drink of choice." He sat across from the young king.

Van took one last drink then set the glass down on the table. "To be honest, I was more then a little surprised, and pleased, to receive word that you wanted to meet so soon after Sir Beckett's duel with General Dowfin. I hope this is a sign of future relations between our two countries."

"I hope so as well, Van, but we mustn't be too hasty. The fact that this meeting needed to be held in secret is an indication that Basram still needs time to recover from the loss of one of its heroes, mad as he was." The tall man took another drink. "Still, things are moving in the right direction. The truth of the General's intentions has swayed public opinion faster than even I anticipated. For this reason, I felt the time was right for us to meet, face to face."

Van nodded.

The Prime Minister continued, "Vallentii informed me that you are considering utilizing the approach developed by the Asturian engineers. From what my engineers tell me, it is a sound approach. The only problem is raising the water high enough at the entry point of the aqueduct. I believe we've come up with a solution to this problem." Falco rose and walked to the back of the room, placing his hands upon a long tarp covered object. "My engineers call it an elevation screw." He pulled the tarp off.

Van and his minister rose and walked over to inspect the device.

"This is just a scaled down model of course," the Prime Minister elaborated. "The actual working model would need to be about four to five times this size. A third of the screw would be immersed in water and as it turns, the water will rise within this portion of the screw cavity. Of course the devise needs to be incased in a cylinder and in order to get a sufficient flow of water, you'll need approximately five rows of twenty screws, at least. A single drag-energist should be sufficient to power all the screws."

"Amazing," Van's minister whispered.

Falco smiled, then looked towards the young king. "Well Van, what do you think?"

"How quickly can we get some in order to test?" He ran his hand over the device.

The Prime Minister grinned. "We have five, full size, on board along with the cylinder housing and the motor needed to power it. You'll need to supply the energist."

Van turned to face the Prime Minister. "And the cost?"

Again, Falco smiled. "Let's consider this payment for services rendered, but if you find this solution to your problem acceptable, then I'm sure terms that will prove acceptable to both our countries can be reached by our trade ministers."

Van nodded and extended his hand. "I'm sure you're right Wallace, and I hope this will be the start of a long and prosperous relationship between our peoples."

Accepting the king's hand in friendship, the Prime Minister replied, "I'm sure it will, Van. I'm sure it will."

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(000)

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Hitomi sat up against the trunk of the large tree in the middle of the village square with a pillow under her knee and her arm secured to her side. Around her were dozens of children listening intently as she shared with them fairytales from her youth.

"And that's how they became the twelve symbols of the zodiac, on the Mystic Moon of course." She smiled.

The children clapped and laughed. "Another one! Another one! Please tell us another story! Please! Please!"

Dorha stood up from the side and clapped her hands to get their attention. "Now children, Lady Hitomi needs her rest. She needs to get well so she can return to the castle."

"Aaaahhh! Just one more, please! Pleeease!"

"Well, maybe just one more." Hitomi smiled, stopping Dorha's protest before it could pass her lips.

The wife of the Wolfen leader sighed but smiled. "All right, just one more, but then you children need to go off and do your chores."

"Okay, okay." They clapped and focused their attention on the girl from the Mystic Moon.

Hitomi smiled, then thoughtfully tapped her chin, trying to come up with another story to tell. "Well, on the Mystic Moon, there is a large and wondrous land called China, where all the animals from the zodiac live. In the land of China, there is a Great Wall which stretches for hundreds and hundreds, even thousands of meters… ah, cubits, I mean." Hitomi smiled sheepishly. "Remember I told you about the rat, from the zodiac. Now the rat is a very smart creature, and very demanding as well. He is a perfectionist and always wants the very best for himself and his family. Well, this story took place many, many years ago. Now in that time, the leader of the rat clan was Prince Yuki and his wife was named Tohru and they made their home like all the really smart rats, in the Great Wall. Now Yuki and Tohru were very much in love and born from the fruit of their love was a daughter, they named Kagura. Because of their great love for each other and for their daughter, Kagura became a very beautiful and well-mannered girl who grew into an even more beautiful and elegant young lady.

"So the day came when Yuki decided it was time for his daughter to get married. Back in those days, the parents of a young lady would choose a husband for their daughter. So Yuki and Tohru went about trying to find a suitable husband for their precious girl. 'Who would make the best husband for our daughter?' Yuki asked. 'It has to be someone very special for our daughter, for she is the most beautiful, and elegant lady in all the land.' Tohru replied. 'Yes, so the one we pick must be the very best for our daughter,' Yuki agreed.

"Yuki and Tohru thought and thought, and finally Tohru said, 'We should ask the sun to marry our daughter. The sun warms all the world and makes the plants grow. Surely, the sun is the best choice for our daughter.' 'Yes. The sun is the very best.' Yuki agreed, so the two went out into the field to speak with the sun. 'Mister Sun, please, will you speak with us?' Yuki asked. 'Yes Mister Rat,' the sun replied." Hitomi said forcing her voice as deep as she could. The children laughed. This brought a smile to the emerald-eyed girl's face. "Standing up tall on his back legs, Yuki spoke, "Mister Sun our daughter, Kagura, is of marrying age, and is the most beautiful and elegant young woman in all the land. She deserves the best husband available. Would you be willing to marry our precious daughter, since you are the best choice in all the land?'

"The sun blushed from the complement. 'You honor me, Mister Rat and I would be more than happy to marry your daughter, but I am not the best in all the land. You see, no matter how brightly I shine, the clouds are able to block my light. Clouds bring much needed shade to the land and are able to drink up the waters from the seas without its salt and bring that water to the land. No, I am not the best choice for your daughter; Mister Cloud is the best choice by far.' Yuki and Tohru thought it over and agree, 'Yes, Mister Cloud would be the best choice for a husband for our daughter.' So they thanked the sun and went up onto the highest mountain to speak with Mister Cloud."

Hitomi used her good arm to show the rats climbing the side of an imaginary mountain. Several of the children laughed and clapped. 'Mister Cloud! Mister Cloud, our daughter Kagura is of marrying age, and is the most beautiful and elegant young woman in all the land. She deserves the best husband available. Would you marry our precious daughter, since you are the best choice in all the land?'

"The giant cloud which moved slowly by the mountain answered, 'You honor me Mister Rat, and I would be more than happy to marry your daughter, but I am not the best in all the land. You see, while I bring shade and rain to the land, it is the wind that moves me. I cannot decide for myself where to go. Only the wind is able to do so. So you see, I am not the best choice for your daughter, Mister Wind is the best choice by far.'

"Yuki and Tohru thought it over and agreed, 'Yes, Mister Wind would be the best choice for a husband for our daughter.' So they thanked the cloud and went up the tallest tree, making sure to hold on tight so Mister Wind wouldn't blow them off." Hitomi rocked side to side, and the children and even their parents, who had started to gather behind them, laughed. "Mister Wind! Mister Wind, our daughter Kagura is of marrying age, and is the most beautiful and elegant young woman in all the land. She deserves the best husband available. Would you marry our precious daughter, since you are the best choice in all the land?' Mister Wind blew hard for a second then calmed to a gentle breeze. 'You honor me Mister Rat, and I would be happy to marry your daughter, but I am not the best in all the land. For no matter how hard I blow, I cannot blow down the Great Wall. Hard as I try, and I have tried, I cannot move the Wall even one small bit. The Wall stands firm and strong always, in sun, in the rain, in the wind. No, I am not the best, by far the Wall is the best.' Yuki and Tohru both agreed, 'Yes, the Wall is the best. That is why we made our home there.' So they thanked the wind and went to talk to the Great Wall.

Hitomi held her arm up at a ninety-degree angle and balled her hand into a fist. "Now the Great Wall was the strong, silent type." She made a long face and stared at her arm, then glanced at the children who began to laugh. She smiled and went on. 'Mister Wall, our daughter Kagura is of marrying age, and is the most beautiful and elegant young woman in all the land. She deserves the best husband available. Would you marry our precious daughter, since you are the best choice in all the land?' Then they waited, because the Great Wall never rushed to an answer." Hitomi looked up at her arm, which she still held up, and waited. One by one, each child giggled as their storyteller sat quietly staring at her arm. Their light giggles slowly turned into collective laughter that eventually died down. When it grew quiet again, Hitomi went on. 'Well, I am honored by your offer, Mister Rat, but I am not the best in the land. You rats are far better than me. While it is true, I stand unmoving for thousands of cubits, you rats tunnel under me, and even dig out homes in my very stones. I am defenseless against you. You rats are by far the best in all the land.' Hitomi lowered her arm.

"Yuki and Tohru looked at each other in shock and wonder. 'The Great Wall is right, we rats are the best above all, but then who among we rats should marry our precious daughter?' As the two walked home, they saw Kagura out fetching water from the well, and Kyo, their neighbor who was Kagura's childhood friend, by her side, helping her with the pail. Tohru turned to her husband and said, 'Look at them Yuki. See how they look at each other, just like we did when we were young. See how caring and kind Kyo is to our daughter and how gentle and sweet Kagura is in return.' Yuki nodded, 'Yes, perhaps Kagura has already chosen the best for herself.' So Yuki and Tuhro asked Kyo if he would take their daughter's hand in marriage and he happily agreed, and in a simple ceremony, on top of the Great Wall with the sun, the clouds and the wind as their witnesses, Kagura and Kyo were married and lived happily ever after."

Everyone clapped and cheered. Slowly, one by one, the children cried out, "Another one! Another one!" Hitomi laughed and smiled happily.

The parents coaxed the children up and herded them home.

With her three children at her side, Dohra helped Hitomi to her feet while her eldest son handed the girl from the Mystic Moon the cane Ruhm had made for her. "Here you are Lady Hitomi." He smiled.

"Thank you Rahm." She took the cane and smiled.

"Where did you learn so many great stories?" Dohra's youngest daughter, Zohria, who was only four asked.

"From my mother and grand-mother, my grand-mother mostly."

Dharma, who was seven, picked up the pillow and forced her way between Hitomi and her older brother, giving him a light nudge and an innocent smile when he snarled at her. Smiling up at their houseguest she said, "I think the last one was my favorite. Kagura must have been really beautiful, and really sweet and special for her parents to go to all that trouble to find her the best husband they could find."

"Yeah," Rahm agreed, sarcastically. "Beautiful… for a rat." He snickered.

"At least she wasn't ugly like you," Dharma shot back, clutching the pillow tightly.

"You're the ugly one. Ugly," he shouted at his sister.

"I am not, you are!" she retaliated.

"Ugly!"

"You're ugly!"

"Ugly!"

"Enough!" Dohra raised her voice. "Rahm, behave yourself. You're the oldest, act like it."

The boy lowered his head. "Yes mamma."

Dharma stuck her tongue out at her brother in triumph, but her apparent victory was short lived.

"Dharma, do you think Princess Kagura would act like that?" her mother asked.

The seven-year old lowered her head and answered sheepishly. "No mamma."

Hitomi gave a concerned look over to their mother, who responded with a wink and a smile. The emerald-eyed girl smiled in return as they made their way home.

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(000)

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Later that night, Hitomi lay sleeplessly in bed, her eyes gazing out the window at the stars. _'I wonder if Van is looking up at the stars tonight?'_ Her stomach grumbled. "Huh, that roast was so heavy. Maybe a glass of milk will help settle my stomach?" Gingerly she eased herself out of bed and grabbed her robe.

While the wolvens tended to keep later hours then she did, she still didn't want do disturb anyone with the clacking of the cane, so she pressed her hand against the wall for support and walked slowly towards the kitchen.

Though they had the additional bedroom, it was tradition among the wolven clan for the children to share a room until they reached maturity and were ready to be on their own. As Hitomi came close to the children's room she could hear Dohra putting them to bed.

"Will Lady Hitomi be with us much longer, mamma?"

"Not much longer, her leg is healing nicely and Lord Van will be missing her if she does not return soon."

"Oh," the two girls sighed sadly.

"You like Lady Hitomi?"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah! She's nice, and she tells really nice stories."

"Stories we've never heard before."

"Well, she is from the Mystic Moon. So I guess there are lots of stories from there we've never heard before. What about you Rahm, do you like Lady Hitomi?"

"Well… yeah… I mean…"

"He thinks Lady Hitomi is pretty."

"Rahm is in love with Lady Hitomi."

"Rahm's in love, Rahm's in love."

Hitomi blushed.

"Shut up!"

"All right that's enough. Rahm, don't yell at your sisters. Dharma, Zohria, don't tease your brother."

"Yes mamma."

"Mother, what do you think that last story Lady Hitomi told was really about? I mean, the rats didn't really talk to the sun and the wind and the clouds, did they?"

"Of course they did. Lady Hitomi wouldn't lie to us."

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm sure Lady Hitomi didn't lie, but… well, you see, there are stories that are called fairytales. These are stories meant to teach a lesson about life and sometimes to do that the stories are made more fantastic then real life."

"So Lady Hitomi lied?"

"No, I'm sure she told the story the way she heard it from her mother and grand-mother."

"So what was that story trying to teach?"

"Well… I think, maybe it was trying to show how sometimes we think other things and other places are better than what we already have, but when you consider all things carefully, often the best place you can be is right where you are."

"Like here in Arzas?"

"Yes Rahm, like here in Arzas. Some may think going someplace like Fanelia Castle or even to other countries like Asturia or Cesario might be better than here, but here in Arzas we have bountiful fields, lush forests, plenty of fresh water, and all the people we love and who love us. What more could anyone want in life?"

"I love it here in Arzas, mamma. I'm never going to leave."

"I'm glad Zohria."

"Now, bedtime."

Hitomi continued down the hall.

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Sitting at the kitchen table Hitomi stared at her glass of milk, her thoughts far from her upset stomach.

"Couldn't sleep?" Dohra walked in the room.

Hitomi sighed and shook her head.

"If you're hungry I can make you something." She headed towards the cupboard.

"No, that's all right. Actually my stomach is just a little upset. That's why I woke up." Hitomi slowly running her hand up and down the side of the glass.

Dohra smiled and turned to sit across from her guest. "I suppose foxan roast takes a little getting used to."

Hitomi blushed, "Sorry."

"No need to apologize." She studied the young teen's expression. "But there's something else troubling you, isn't there?"

"Well, …" Hitomi looked away. "I overheard you talking with the children and your explanation of the story I told."

"Oh?" Dohra's smile faded just a bit. "Was I close in my interpretation?"

"Well… I guess so. I mean, when I told the story I really wasn't thinking of the meaning behind it, though thinking back now, I guess that is what my grandmother said it was about, not truly appreciating what you have until it is pointed out to you by others." Hitomi looked over at Dohra and looked away. "But… well, the way you related it to what's happening here in the village…"

"Yes?"

"Well… I wasn't trying to say anything about that, one way or the other." She paused. "And… well, to tell you the truth, I don't really see what's so wrong about letting people decide for themselves where they want to live." Hitomi looked up for a moment, but seeing Dohra's serious expression, she immediately cast her eyes down. "I'm sorry, I know this is none of my business."

"On the contrary, if you are to be our queen some day, it is very much your business."

Hitomi looked up again, and by the dim candlelight, could tell that while Dohra's expression was serious, it was not one of anger. The stout woman smiled softly at her. "Hitomi, ours is a simple way of life. We tend to our fields and we sheer our sheep, but we supply a valuable service to the kingdom. Without our goods Fanelia would be much less self-sufficient, and without our young people to insure the next generation, the existence of not only our village and clan falls into doubt but the future of Fanelia as a whole becomes clouded. Is it better to put an entire kingdom at jeopardy for the whims of an impetuous generation?"

Hitomi shifted her gaze back and forth from her glass of goat's milk and her hostess but said nothing.

"Is this what led to your injuries?" Dohra asked softly. "Did you and Van get in a fight over the bridge?"

The teen looked up abruptly. "No! I mean it wasn't a fight. Van would never hurt me. But…." She lowered her head. "We argued and I ran away. He tried to stop me. He tried to apologize but I wouldn't listen and I ran off a cliff.

Dohra nodded her understanding. "Lord Van is in a very difficult position. On the one hand, the faster our goods can get to market in Fanelia Castle the better it is for all of Fanelia. On the other hand, if we lose too many of our people to the lure of the big city our ability to produce these goods goes way down. There is no easy solution and however Lord Van chooses to solve this dilemma I'm sure there will be people left unhappy by his decision. But that is the responsibility of a king. To make the hard choices and deal with the consequences."

"And what is the responsibility of a queen?" Hitomi whispered under her breath.

Dohra considered the question for a moment. "Well… you may not want to hear this but it's not to give advice. A king already has ministers and advisors to do that. No, rather it is to provide him quiet support and a place where he can get away from the affairs of state for a time. And if you see that his advisors are not doing their job, _then_ gently, casually pose a question or two. Make him think about things in a way he may never have considered before. By doing this a queen demonstrates true wisdom."

"But what if I'm not able to do that?" The shorthaired girl's eyes pleaded for an answer.

Dohra smiled, "My dear, I know of no queen who has ever achieved true wisdom of this manner, but it is something that they all must strive for. Whether you achieve it is not up to you to decide but rather for the generations that follow."

Hitomi sat back in the chair and sighed.

The wife of the wolven clan leader watched the youth intently as the girl pondered her words. After several minutes she asked, "How is your stomach feeling now?"

Hitomi's eyes widened slightly from the unexpected question. She looked down at herself before answering. "Better, I guess it wasn't the roast that made it upset in the first place." She stared at the glass.

"I'll take care of it, don't you worry." The woman smiled.

The girl gave a nod, then gingerly rose to her feet using her good hand for support on the table.

"Where is your cane?"

"I left it in the room. I didn't want to make too much noise this late at night."

"Here…" Dohra stood up. "Let me help you."

"That's okay, I can manage." Hitomi assured her as she limped her way towards her room. "By the way…"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. I'll do my best to learn how to be wise." Hitomi smiled.

"I know you will child. I know you will." Dohra watched with a concerned eye as Hitomi made her way down the hall to her bedroom, then she turned and picked up the glass, depositing its contents in the dog's bowl and washing it in the basin.

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Hitomi lay down carefully, sighing from the effort. She stared out the window, up at the stars and smiled, "Van, I'll do my best to make myself into a good queen, a wise queen, someday. But now, I have my own Kyo to marry.

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(To be Continued)

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AN: Sorry for the incredibly long delay. I needed to do some research into Japanese folktales and… well, to be honest I started watching Fruits Basket and absolutely fell in love with it. Only seen the first 12 episodes so far, but what I've seen I've really, really enjoyed. So I took the folktale and modified it with the characters from FB, except they are all rats in Hitomi's story and I added the part about the wall being the Great Wall of China. Seemed to fit since the zodiac is the Chinese Zodiac. It took a fair amount of searching in order to find a story that would also work with the dilemma at Arzas.

Another area of research was the Archimedes screw. Archimedes was a Roman born in Syracuse, Sicily in 287 BC and was educated in Alexandria, Egypt, dying in Syracuse between 212 and 211 BC. He was called the Father of integral calculus and the Father of mathematical physics. While the more advanced forms of pumping water existed during the renaissance, which is the era Gaea is most often compared to, using the Archimedes screw seemed like a better, cleaner fit.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and found it worth the wait. I'd like to take a moment to thank my new beta-reader, CrimsonH. While I wish I could still work with Janice, I haven't heard from her in so long, I just didn't know what else to do. CrimsonH, thanks so much for all your hard work on this chapter. And Janice, I hope I hear from you soon.

A. Amishi


	102. Chapter 101

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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Chapter 101

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Hitomi Kanzaki went through each article of clothing, carefully folding each piece and placing it in her bag. Holding up the tattered remains of her riding jacket, she sighed deeply and set it on the side of the bed. "So much for that thing. It was so expensive too." She did the same with the rest of the outfit then went about picking up her toiletries from the dresser and placed them in the bag as well.

"Hitomi!" Merle came prancing into the room but slowly stood upright as she looked from the bed to the dresser and back again. "Why are you packing?"

The girl from the Mystic Moon gave a weak smile. "I'm going home Merle." She went back to picking up more items from the dresser.

"Why?" The catgirl cried out. "Lord Van isn't even back yet. You can't leave!"

"It's better this way Merle. I have things I have to do back in my world, and if I wait for Van to return, I might not be able to go." She quickly wiped away a stray tear while she continued packing.

"But you'll be back, right? You're not leaving us for good, are you?" The younger teen jumped in front of her friend and stared up at her with pleading eyes.

Hitomi stared into her friend's sad eyes for a long while before smiling and giving Merle a soft pat on the head. "Of course I'll be back." She placed the items in her hand in the bag. "Just not so soon, that's all."

"Not so soon?" Merle looked away. "You mean you won't be back till you finish with school. That's what you're really saying, isn't it?"

Hitomi stopped what she was doing and slowly turned to face her friend. "Merle… I have responsibilities, serious responsibilities. I have to see them through to the end. Can't you understand that?"

"NO! No I can't understand that! What about your responsibilities to the man you love? What about that? What about Lord Van?" Merle fumed.

Hitomi turned away and walked to the window. Staring out over the city she gathered her resolve and whispered. "Stop being such a child Merle."

The catgirl gasped.

"What do you thing, all you need is love in your life and everything will be fine? Well, it doesn't work that way. It just doesn't. Yes, I love Van. I love him with all my heart, but I have responsibilities… and so does he. He has a kingdom to rule and he can't keep taking time out just to spend with me." The emerald-eyed girl blinked rapidly in a desparate effort to hold back her tears.

"What do you think he's going to do when you are queen?" Merle countered.

"That's different. When… _if_… I come back, it will be for good. Sure, we'll still do some of the things we've done before but not as much, not all the time. Things are never like that after two people get married. I'm not kidding myself into believing it will be all one big romantic adventure." Hitomi sighed.

"You're wrong Hitomi. If you do this, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life; you know this." Merle pleaded with her.

Hitomi turned and offered her friend a weak smile. "Everything will work itself out, you'll see; and if it doesn't." She turned back towards the window. "Then I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

"Don't give me that destiny crap!" The catgirl stomped her foot angrily and slammed her fists down on the matress. "That's just an excuse people use when they aren't willing to work at making their dreams come true! If you don't love Van enough to make your relationship with him work then just say so, don't blame it on destiny! Destiny isn't what's going to make him stop loving you. A wounded heart is a vulnerable heart. Someone might come along and take what he's already given to you."

"What are you saying Merle?" Hitomi walked up to her friend and rested her hands on her hips.

"I'm saying that the priests have been pushing Van to start courting the daughters of the nobles of Fanelia. If you trust in destiny then you might as well just go and never come back." The feline warned.

"Why don't you tell me what you really want to say?" Hitomi countered calmly.

"What do you mean?" Merle gave her friend a puzzled look.

"You still love Van, I know you do." The girl from the Mystic Moon leaned in a bit closer. "What you're saying is if I stay away too long, you'll take him from me, isn't it?"

Merle gasped in shock. "No… No!" She shook her head violently. "I wouldn't do that!"

"No? Than why were you just calling him Van? You always call him Lord Van, not just Van. Why the sudden change?" Hitomi asked calmly.

"I… I was just…" Merle shook her head violently. "Don't make this about me. This is about you. If you're going to be stupid and expect LORD VAN to wait two years for you, that's you're problem." Then she turned and ran out the room.

"Oh Merle." Hitomi sighed. Walking over to the dresser again, she started picking up somemore items then suddenly stopped and set them back down. Going to her bag, she pulled out a notepad and a pen then went and sat at her vanity table. Flipping open to a blank page, she began to write.

_**My Dearest Van,**_

…

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(To be Continued)

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AN: Sorry for taking so long to update this story. I meant to update much sooner but I've had so little time to write and I'm so far behind on so many other stories, that I just kept putting it off. I hope to have the next chapter up shortly but only time will tell.

Thanks for your patience.

A. Amishi


	103. Chapter 102: The Letter

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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Note: IMPORTANT! Please read the Author's Notes at the end of this chapter! Thank you.

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Chapter 102

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Merle clutched a large brown envelope to her chest as she watched th Lady Vari dock at Fanelia Harbor. A steady flow of tears ran down her face as she waited for her king to disembark. It had been three days since Hitomi had handed her the envelop, asking her to give it to Van, and then returned to the Mystic Moon. Three days filled with anguish and tears for the young catgirl as she waited for Van to come home. Now seeing Van on the deck of the ship, she wished this moment had never come.

"Remove the screws and contact Sir Baschan. I want a prototype set up and ready to be tested before nightfall." Van instructed his Minister of State.

"Yes, My Lord." Sir Vallentii bowed. Upon straightening up he minister noticed the catgirl standing on a small hill just beyond the harbor. "It appears someone is waiting for you." He nodded towards the young girl.

Van turned and looked. He smiled and waved but the smile quickly vanished. Despite being too far to make out Merle's facial expression, her body language told him something was very wrong. Turning to his minister again, Van said, "Notify me when the prototype is ready." Not waiting for a reply, Van jumped off the ship onto the pier and ran to his young friend.

"Merle!" Van came up to the catgirl, wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground. "I've missed you so much." He set her down and kissed her on the forehead, smiling down at her.

"Oh, Lord Van." Merle cried and buried her face in his chest.

"What's wrong Merle?" He looked side to side. "Has Hitomi returned yet?"

Slowly, the catgirl pried herself from her king, and held out the envelope. "She came… and left. She asked that I give this to you." Tears rolled down her face.

Van took the envelope with a hint of uncertainty and slowly piled it open. Looking inside, he pulled out the six page letter and walked over to the practice track he built for Hitomi. Holding the letter up he began to read.

**My Dearest Van,**

**This has to be the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Even harder then when I left you the first time, because that time, I knew in my heart that I would come back someday and see you again. This time, I'm not so sure.**

**Please, forgive me for being so weak during our journey. I knew we needed to talk the moment I arrived, I just didn't have the courage to open my heart to you and tell you what was bothering me. So like a coward, I hid behind a smile and behaved like a fool, telling myself I needed you to protect me, to look after me, like I was some damsel in distress. I'm sorry for worrying you so much, and I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. **

**The truth is, while I was on the Mystic Moon, I convinced myself that the reason I could run so fast was because of you. That it was you and the love we shared that made me better than everyone else. And while your love does motivate me to do my best, the real truth was that I have more ability than I ever imagined I could have. **

**You can't know how much this scares me, and excites me at the same time. You see, in my world, sports, like running, are incredibly popular and competitions between schools, universities, even nations go on all the time. There is even a special sports tournament that is held once every four years where the best athletes from all around the world come together in one city and compete in dozens of different sporting events. And you see, the country I am from, Japan, has been pretty successful in long-distance races over the past years, but we haven't even come close to even sending a representative for the 100 meter sprint (the race I run) in the women's event. Now, I don't know if I am good enough to make it to that level. Right now I've only run in high school meets, but I owe it to my school and my country to try and develop into the best runner I can be. **

**Unfortunately, I can't do that jumping back and forth between our two worlds or by spending hours talking with you telepathically. Both drain my strength and it takes me days to recover. **

**I know I promised to come back and marry you when I finished with school, but if it turns out that I really do have what it takes to compete at the international level, well, it may take me longer, a lot longer. I can not ask you to wait for me, not knowing how long I will be gone. I can not expect you to keep me in your heart forever not knowing when or if I will ever come back.**

**The more I think about it, the more I realize how unfair and selfish it is of me to ask you to wait for me. Any girl in her right mind would jump at the opportunity to marry a handsome young king. I guess this just goes to prove I'm not in my right mind. (that was supposed to be a joke but the more I think about it, it seems sadly true and not funny at all) Please forget about me. Forget what we had. Let it be a wonderful dream of what might have been. **

**Goodbye Van**

**Hitomi**

Van's arms dropped to his side, each page slipping from his hand.

"Lord Van!" Merle ran over, scrambling to pick up the pages before they were swept away by the wind.

But Van paid no attention. He staggered away lost in a haze, unable to believe that this was the end. Looking up suddenly, he looked over the harbor and saw his horse had already been taken off the ship. Running over, he quickly jumped onto the beast bare back and took off for the castle.

"Lord Van!"

It as too late. The king was in a full gallop racing to find the woman he loved.

AN: I am so very sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. I actually finished writing it well over a month ago, but I've been waiting to get it back from my beta. Unfortunately, she never contacted me. I don't know what happened. (Janice, if you are still out there, I hope you are alright. Call or write, please. I'm worried about you and I care.)

I have a couple things I need to say. It is not going to be easy but please bear with me. My wife and I are starting a website for US Civil War Reenacting. It is Nothing set up yet, but I will be spending all my spare time working on it. Because of that I will have very little time to do any writing. I am currently actively working on two stories, one for Avatar and one for Harry Potter. I will be limiting my work to just these two stories as inspiration moves me but even these will be slow writing. I know I promised I would finish this story and I plan on remaining true to my promise. After I get my reenacting website up and running at the level I want it at, I am planning to start my own fanfiction website that will feature my stories in a multi-media presentation (music and images to go along with the story and enhance the reading experience). I will announce when that site is up and running.

Until then, I wish you all the best and I hope you will do the same for me.

I love you all,

A. Amishi


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